


pétalos dorados y la melodía de una guitarra

by orphan_account



Category: Coco (2017)
Genre: Beauty and the Beast AU, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, F/M, I know it's a really odd pairing but I personally blame this one redemption fic I read, I'll explain more in the notes, also people still like it so /shrug/, but anyway expect the typical fairytale elements along with some changes, but i really hate deleting fics so i'll leave it here, edit: looking back at this now and lord i'm so embarrassed to have made this, slight crossover, tags will also most likely update frequently as the story goes on, the slowest slow burn to ever slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-07-15 16:25:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 39,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16066907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Sometimes, a series of strange events can be connected to each other: such as a mariachi being cursed for his past misdeeds and falling from grace, and a composed yet brilliant woman finding herself stuck in a mansion with said mariachi—all while not knowing anything about the curse, nor her role in everything.One thing is certain: there hasn’t been anything stranger that’s happened in the Land of the Dead before.





	1. 000. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so not too long ago I read this Ernesto redemption fic and it was just so good and I accidentally ended up liking this pairing a bit…? Then, last night I did a binge watch of old Disney classics and while I randomly thought ‘lol Victoria is like Belle except more composed’ and somehow I hatched this idea later on.  
> Anyway, I was mostly inspired by the 1991 edition, but I’m not entirely opposed to adding elements from other adaptions. As for the character tags, I’m going to try to make at least most of the Riveras and some background characters from the film appear. The songs are undecided for now, but since I did add one from the remake here, there's a good chance the rest might be added as well. And yeah, I made an OC just so he could take up the role of Gaston – I’ll probably also end up making OCs to take over the roles of the castle staff, but we’ll see… I’m totally willing to take any additional ideas for this story if anyone has any though, since I’m still kinda figuring some stuff out.  
> With all that rambling aside, here’s a prologue!

Long ago, in a small village known as Santa Cecilia, there once lived two friends. Their names were Ernesto de la Cruz and Héctor.

 

Ernesto was the older one by four years – a slender, muscular man with black hair, a moustache and a deep voice. Meanwhile, Héctor was the younger one – a lanky guy with a gold tooth, dark brown hair and goatee and a soft yet firm voice. Despite being complete opposites, the two were as close as ever, having been friends ever since they were two rambunctious little boys running around the streets.

 

However, their friendship became strained as Héctor fell for a feisty woman around his age by the name of Imelda Rivera. At first, Ernesto tried to dissuade his friend from courting the ill-tempered woman as he thought that their romance wouldn’t last a week, but Héctor paid no mind to his friend’s words and continued to pursue Imelda, even going as far as to writing a song for her. Luckily for him, she reciprocated his feelings and soon, they were married and blessed with a little girl whom they named Coco.

 

After Coco was born, Héctor began spending more time with his new family. He wrote songs for his daughter, and sung lullabies to her every night. As he dedicated more time to his  _familia_ , he spent less time with his own friend – even their usual meetups and brainstorming for music became less frequent as he paid more attention to his wife and daughter.

 

Ernesto grew jealous, for he had met Héctor  _first_ and had known him  _much longer_ than that woman had and while Coco was indeed a cute little girl, that still didn't soften the bitter feelings that would surface each time his friend would cut their meetings short just for the child’s sake.

 

He wanted to be happy for his friend, but it was hard to be when he was getting the short end of the stick. He wished that things would go back to the way they were before – when they were just a duo, a pair of friends ready to sing for the world. 

 

And so, De la Cruz came up with an idea. 

 

One night, he invited Héctor over to the bar for a quick drink. Once they met up, he suggested: "You know, since it’s been our dream to sing for the world, why don’t we go on a tour of the country together? Just you and me, like back in the old days." 

 

Héctor agreed, and the next day their bags were packed and ready to go. The lanky man kissed his wife and daughter goodbye, promising to write them letters while De la Cruz rolled his eyes.

 

The first few months of touring the country had been wonderful. Héctor had written such good melodies, and together they sung to large audiences, causing the people to swoon. No worries and no interruptions – only the occasional letters and poems Héctor wrote for his daughter, but aside from that, it was all perfect.

 

But then, one night in December, Héctor spoke of how homesick he was – he told his friend that he had made up his mind, and was going home no matter what.

 

Angered by the younger man’s decision, Ernesto decided that he wasn't going to let him ruin anything; not when they'd gotten this far, and when his songs were needed... so he carefully sprinkled a small amount of poison in his friend’s drink before proposing a toast, passing off the powdery substance at the bottom as "flavoring." 

 

But as Héctor took his shot glass in his hand, there was a knock at the door. Curious, the young man opened it, only to find a frail old man standing there.

 

"Excuse me, Señores, but could I come in?" the old man asked. "I need a place to stay for the night." 

 

Ernesto began to feel a little nervous. If he were to let the elder in, who was to say that he wouldn't stop him from seizing his moment? 

 

Héctor, on the other hand, smiled at the elder and stepped aside as he let him enter.

 

The old man noticed the glass in the younger man’s hand, eyeing it before he asked, “My boy, why is there powder at the bottom of your drink?”

 

“Oh, it’s a bit of flavoring added by mi amigo,” Héctor replied, gesturing at Ernesto.

 

“Yes – yes, it’s flavoring I added to enhance the taste,” Ernesto lied, a bit of sweating pouring down his forehead.

 

The old man’s eyebrows furrowed. “If it really is just flavoring, why not pour some of it onto the ground and let the rats have a taste?”

 

Ernesto’s eyes narrowed. “Are you _crazy?_ Why on earth would you feed a bunch of rats?”

 

The old man glared at him for a moment, before looking back at Héctor. “It’s wise to test things out _first_ than to blindly ingest something,” he advised. “Even if it may come from a friend, you can never know…”

 

Héctor raised an eyebrow, a little skeptical. Still, he followed the elder’s advice and poured a bit of his tequila into a corner of the room – some of its powdery contents sprinkling the floor. A bunch of rats scurried over to the powder, though the largest one ingested most of it. For a few minutes, it licked itself clean – before it suddenly collapsed onto the ground, stiff as a doorknob.

 

“Wow, I – didn’t expect that at all,” Ernesto chuckled nervously, as his friend dropped his glass—causing it to shatter as it hit the ground—as he looked at the dead rat in horror.

 

“You…” Héctor trailed off as he looked at his friend. “You were going to _poison_ me…?”

 

“Héctor, I—” Ernesto began, only for the younger man to cut him off.

  
“—you were going to kill me just because I wanted to go back home?!” the young musician raised his voice as he shouted at his so-called ‘friend’. “What, were you going to wait until I collapsed at the train station so you could take my guitar and songbook? Were you going to call my family and told them I left the country or something so that they’d forget me?”

 

“I – I wanted to seize my moment,” De la Cruz tried to justify his actions. “I needed your songs, so I acted on impulse…” He approached the younger man, holding a hand out as he tried touching his shoulder. “Look, I just—”

 

“ _Don’t touch me!_ ” Héctor hissed as he backed away from the twenty-five year-old. He picked up his suitcase and guitar case once more, as he rushed over to the door. For a moment, he glanced back at his friend and whispered, “To think, I once called you _mi amigo_ …”

 

Before Ernesto could say anything else, the young musician left and slammed the door shut, leaving the twenty-five year-old alone with the elder, who had remained silent during the whole confrontation.

 

“Why did you have to go and stick your nose where it didn’t belong?” he snapped, turning to the old man. “Because of you, I’ve lost my friend _and_ my chances at seizing my moment!”

 

“If you hadn’t tried to poison your friend, then things wouldn’t be the way they are now,” the old man replied in a simple manner.

 

“How dare— _who_ are you and _why_ did you come here, anyway?” Ernesto asked, frustrated by the old man’s presence in general. “Are you some type of sorcerer who has come to test me or something?”

 

“The ‘test’ part is only _slightly_ true,” the elder answered, with a toothy grin. “But really, I enjoy meddling in mortal affairs since it’s the most fun I get aside from…” he trailed off for a moment, before he shrugged. “Well, what I do won’t be of concern to you – at least, not for a few decades, unless you change your ways before you end up digging your own grave – if so, then this is the last time you'll see me. And trust me, you would be _much_ better off that way.”

 

“‘ _Mortal affairs?_ ’” the twenty-five year-old repeated, confused by his statement. “What—”

 

Before he could say anything else, though, the old man left. Ernesto ran outside and was about to demand for more answers, but the elder had vanished already, completely out of sight. 

 

Ernesto thought about the old man’s last words. Would he really be seeing him again in a couple of decades if he didn't pay heed to his warning?

 

He then shook his head. No, that wasn’t possible – the elder would be dead by then. Perhaps, he was only saying those things to scare him. Besides, it wasn’t like he could do anything to him, right?

 

* * *

 

Twenty-one years passed, and while Ernesto still remembered the night with the elder and Héctor, he had forgotten the former’s warning. Instead, he still pursued a musical career – starting off by covering old classics, before he finally managed to write his own songs. He even did a bit of acting, starring in a few films during the 1930s.

 

(Despite the fact that his songs weren’t as creative as his former friend’s, they still brought in an audience, making him well-known throughout most of the country.

 

Still, a part of him missed Héctor.

 

Sometimes, he wondered if there was a way he could’ve seized his moment that night without making such a huge mistake – then, he would push those thoughts aside, telling himself: “The past already happened, and there’s nothing you can do about it now.”

 

Besides, he was beloved by many others – so, why should he keep the flames of the past still burning? Like other fires, they should be put out.)

 

Now, it was September, 1942 –  and tonight would be his biggest performance yet.

 

He stood in front of a mirror, dressed in a blue mariachi suit. He straightened his bowtie, just as the stagehand called out to him: “Señor, you’re on in a few minutes!”

 

Ernesto grinned as he stepped forward, taking his place behind the curtains. He turned to the stagehand and asked, "How do I look?"

 

"Fantastic," the stagehand replied, placing a hand on De la Cruz’s shoulder for a moment while smirking a little. Then, he walked away.

 

Ernesto raised an eyebrow, finding the man’s smirk to be a little… strange, to say the least. He shrugged, figuring that he was probably looking way too deep into things.

 

He composed himself, just as the curtains began to rise. 

 

"Damas y caballeros," the announcer began, "with our deepest pride and greatest pleasure, we present: Ernesto de la Cruz!" 

 

The audience cheered as the mariachi stepped out onto the stage, beneath a church bell. He cleared his throat, before he began to sing.

 

 

 

> _"Oh, how divine!_
> 
> _Glamour, music and magic combine._
> 
> _See the maidens so anxious to shine."_

 

A bunch of women dressed in red, yellow and white dresses walked onto the stage, standing across from the mariachi. They all bowed as they faced him, causing him to grin a little.

 

He'd always had an eye for beautiful women.

 

 

 

> _"Look for a sign that enhances chances._
> 
> _She’ll be his special one!"_

 

The women began to dance, twirling their skirts as the mariachi continued to sing.

 

 

 

> _"What a display!_
> 
> _What a breathtaking, thrilling array!_
> 
> _Every prince, every dog has his day!"_

 

Ernesto took a few steps forward, nudging one of the women's shoulders before winking at her, while she merely smiled at him.

 

He then backed up underneath the bell once more as he finished the song. 

 

 

 

> _"Let us sing with passion, gusto, fit to bust— oh, not a care in the world!"_

Just as he hit the final note, the bell began to creek – and before anyone could even blink, it fell on top of him, crushing him and ending his life right then and there.

 

The last thing he heard aside from the loud ringing were the screams of horror and shouting that came from the audience. 

 

And yet, he never got to see their reactions, or witness the curtain falling…

 

* * *

 

When Ernesto woke up, the first thing he saw was his bony hands. 

 

He raised his arms, horrified at the sight. "No," he whispered, shaking his head. "I can't – I can't be dead!"

 

"Oh, but you are," an eerily familiar voice said. 

 

He looked ahead and saw a black skeleton, dress in dark armor, with wings on his back and a crown on his head. 

 

"Who are you?" Ernesto asked.

 

The winged skeleton scoffed. "You’ve forgotten me already? I am hurt, Señor de la Cruz." He stopped for a moment, before he shrugged. "Then again, it has been twenty-one years since that night, when you tried 'seizing your moment'."

 

"Wait…" Ernesto trailed off, as he remembered the old man, his eyes soon narrowing. "You’re – you're that old man!"

 

"Ah, so you  _do_ remember me!" 

 

"So you  _are_ a sorcerer..."

 

"Well, I prefer the title ' _Xibalba,_ _Ruler of the Land of the Forgotten_ ' more," the winged skeleton replied, smirking a little. "Though I do see why you would make a mistake like that – after all, the ability to kill someone with a mere touch is considered witchcraft by many." 

 

"Wait –  _what?_ " Ernesto’s eyes widened as Xibalba's words sunk in. "You –  _you're_ responsible for my death?" 

 

"While I didn't exactly have a hand in the bell collapsing, let's just say shapeshifting has its perks," Xibalba responded.

 

Ernesto clenched his fists as he stood up. " _You killed me!_ " he shouted. 

 

"I warned you long ago to clean up your act!" Xibalba shot back. "But no, you let your pride get to you, and continued to be a self-absorbed man obsessed with fame – even breaking a few hearts along the way. Not once did you bother to fix your own mistakes."

 

Ernesto gritted his teeth, looking down at the ground. It was true, he had a few affairs in the past, and he never really did approach Héctor after that night – but it was mostly because he feared confrontation for his actions, and he also wanted to focus on his career a bit more, still trying to make it in the music industry.

 

"And now, you're facing the consequences," Xibalba continued. "As years pass, people will begin to forget you – they won't remember you like how they do with the other musicians and stars who've made it just as big in the business. Unlike them, you will rot in the Land of the Forgotten for the rest of your days."

 

The god then turned to leave, but just as he was about to disappear, Ernesto yelled out: " _Wait!_ " The god looked back at the mariachi, as he continued, "There must be a way I can fix this, or at least avoid such a fate – right?"

 

Xibalba stared at the mariachi, pondering for a moment. While he thought that the forty-six year old deserved to be forgotten, he  _did_ enjoy striking up a deal on occasions. "There is a way," he spoke, approaching De la Cruz. "You were a little casanova back in the Land of the Living, so it only seems fit that the only way to break your little… curse, is to fall in love with a woman, and that she returns your feelings."

 

"That's it?" Ernesto grinned a little. "Well, that seems easy—"

 

"—but," the god continued, "it must be before the sun sets on the 75th Día de los Muertos, after your demise. And of course, you have limitations: you cannot speak of this curse, nor can you use your looks to sleep your way around it – the love has to be  _genuine._ " 

 

"And if the curse isn't broken by the time I’ve reached the 75th year mark…?"

 

"Like I’ve said before: you will rot here in the Land of the Forgotten for all eternity." Xibalba then snapped his fingers, causing a vase of marigold flowers to appear. He placed the vase in the mariachi's hands.

 

"What are these for?" Ernesto questioned.

 

"To mark how much time has passed," Xibalba answered. "When the last petal falls, it means that your time is up." 

 

As the god turned to leave once more, he yelled, "Buena suerte, mi amigo! Lo necesitarás!"

 

And with that, he disappeared, leaving Ernesto all by himself.

 

Indeed, the Ruler of the Land of the Forgotten was right – it was not an easy task for Ernesto.

 

Days turned into months, months turned into years – and still, there was no luck for De la Cruz. In fact, things only seemed to get worse for him, as his once loyal fans soon began to forget him. 

 

Eventually, the mariachi no longer kept his hopes up.

 

Just how could he find a woman to love, who would actually return his feelings?

 

It was all hopeless – completely and utterly hopeless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it’s not what most would call an ideal beginning, but I wanted to go with a more creative flow – following the whole ‘glass window’ opening from the 1991 adaption of _Beauty and the Beast_ while also kinda keeping some elements from _Coco_ in, as well as throwing in Xibalba because… look, I needed someone to play the “enchanter” and I remembered watching _The Book of Life_ , and he’s kinda the type of guy to meddle in lives so why not?  
> Either way, I hope this was at least a good read for some of you, even if it's such a weird concept (my apologies if it weirded anyone out too much; that wasn’t my intention, I swear) – I hope it’s at least interesting enough for some readers.


	2. 001. our peculiar beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we meet Victoria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, i was a little surprised to read some of the comments on the prologue, as i didn’t expect such nice feedback – nor did i think anyone would actually enjoy this, but i’m glad I was proven wrong! i also decided to come off anon since you guys are so sweet, and i wanna be able to talk more properly to you lot. ♥  
> for this chapter, there's no "little town" song or anything since i don't really see victoria as the type to randomly start singing out in the open like that. the other songs will stay though, especially "evermore".  
> as for the characters' ages, since i didn't mention it before and i might as well do it now to clear things up: ernesto is still 46 (b. _1896_ , d. _1942_ ) like in canon, whereas my headcanon for victoria's birth-death date is _1939-1982_ , making her 43; only 3 (physical) years younger than de la cruz. the others are pretty much their canon ages, except for hector and imelda since they live to the age of 80 in this AU; and it's all still set in 2017 like in the film. yay.  
> with that being said: enjoy!!

The sun rose over the horizon – shining brightly, casting its rays of light upon the buildings below. A chilly wind blew through some open windows, past drawn curtains as a new day began.

 

But in Victoria’s eyes, it was merely another day of the provincial afterlife she led.

 

Life had always been simple for her – she had grown up in Santa Cecilia, the granddaughter of Héctor Rivera and Imelda Rivera, who had ran the family shoe shop after Héctor had returned home in late 1921 from what he called a "short, musical trip", which made him realize that family was more important than music and thus the shop was made to financially support the family. It not only kept them well-fed, but it also started a cycle in shoemaking. When Victoria was old enough to ride a bike, she was taught how to make shoes and thus spent her time in the shoe shop, crafting sandals while her younger sister, Elena, crafted huaraches. When she wasn’t crafting shoes, she would head out into town – going to the market on occasions, to buy food and supplies, and even stopping at the book store to purchase some books to read for herself; just the basics.

 

Her life wasn’t really eventful aside from the day of Elena and Franco’s wedding, where she had been a bridesmaid along with their aunt, Rosita – but other than that, she had lived a plain life; and sure, she died young at age forty-three due to a lung disease, but in the end, she merely woke up in the Land of the Dead afterwards and was collected by her grandparents, who had died only two years prior to her demise.

 

Life in the Land of the Dead was the same as life in Santa Cecilia – everyone had their own routine and lived out their own plain, provincial lives in the plain city. The only “new” thing that ever happened was when Día de los Muertos would arrive, and people would cross over the bridge to visit their living relatives – but even then, it was only on one day. Otherwise, it was just the same thing every day.

 

And it was no different in Victoria’s case. As the sun’s light shone through the window of her room, she stretched her arms before getting up from her bed to do the usual morning practice – brush and tie her hair into a bun, along with putting on her usual blue and yellow dress and her huaraches, which had been crafted by her sister for her.

 

Once she was done getting ready, she headed downstairs, to the kitchen. Inside the kitchen, her family was seated down at the table, all chatting it up with one another.

 

Héctor spotted his granddaughter, as she stepped inside. “Buenos días, Victoria!” he greeted her with a smile on his face, and beckoned for her to join the rest of the family at the table. “Come, sit!”

 

“Buenos días, Abuelito,” Victoria responded, smiling a little as sat down next to her twin great-uncles, Óscar and Felipe.

 

“How did you sleep last night, mija?” her father, Julio, asked. He sat next to his younger sister, Rosita, across from his daughter and the twins.

 

“I slept fine,” she answered simply, just as Imelda had passed by, placing a plate of Huevos Rancheros in front of her. She looked up at her grandmother and mumbled a quick “gracias” before she grabbed a fork and knife, and began to eat her breakfast.

 

“De nada, mija,” Imelda replied, as she sat down next to her husband. As she watched her granddaughter eat, she added, “And when you head out into town, could you help your tíos with some of the shoe delivery?”

 

Victoria gulped down some of her food, nodding. “Sí, I will.”

 

A part of her couldn’t help but feel a little thankful that her great-uncles would be accompanying her. Maybe then, that suitor of hers wouldn’t try wooing her as he usually did.

 

Maybe, for once, he’d actually leave her alone and stop bothering her – because while she yearned for a bit change in her life, she  _didn't_ want that change to be her ending up as some man’s dainty little wife. She wanted so much more than that.

 

But what she wanted was something that was hard to describe or explain to anyone, so she kept quiet about her desires – and in the end, it wasn’t like she could leave her family and the shoe shop behind just like that. She loved them too much. 

 

So for now, she would keep herself content with the love she received from them, along with indulging herself in reading fantastic tales from books purchased in the market.

 

* * *

 

The streets were bustling, busy as ever – especially when it came to the shops. Victoria looked around as she walked alongside her uncles, carrying two shoe boxes with her. Some people flocked over to the stores, while others conversed with one another – some would even perform their little acts and play music on the streets. They were all enjoying themselves, making what they thought was the most out of their provincial little afterlives.

 

She followed her uncles as they stepped into a dress shop. There, the dressmaker – known by most as Ceci – was finishing up a frilly light pink dress with a few flowers on it. As Ceci saw the three out of the corner of her eye, she turned to them. “Ah, finally! I was wondering if the order for the bridesmaid’s shoes would come on time or not.”

 

“Buenos días, Ceci!” Óscar greeted the dressmaker.

 

“Buenos días, Óscar. Felipe,” she replied. She glanced at Victoria for a second, and added, “And buenos días, Victoria.”

 

“Buenos días, Cecilia,” the youngest Rivera murmured.

 

Ceci looked back at the twins, pointing over to a room, filled with more dresses. “Could you put the boxes over there? I’ll come in a second, once I’ve added the final touches to this dress.”

 

The twins nodded and began to carry the boxes into the other room, with Victoria trailing behind them. Then, Felipe turned to his great-niece, stopping her for a moment.

 

“Why don’t I take those boxes for you?” he offered. “That way, you can go out and enjoy yourself – have a little fun.”

 

“But—” Victoria tried to protest, but he took the boxes from her hands and pushed her away a bit.

 

“Go,” he said with a smile. “We’ll catch up with you soon.”

 

She sighed, knowing that there was no use arguing with him. Besides, she did plan on visiting the book shop anyways. So, she headed out the door, walking down the paved road.

 

She continued down the path, until she stopped at the book shop. She walked in, and looked around the shelves. She then took out a small red book titled _El Principe Oso_. While she had read the story before when she was little and memorized every detail, she didn’t mind rereading it.

 

“How much for this book?” she asked, as she walked up to the counter.

 

The bookseller smiled and said, “Oh, that one? It’s for free.”

 

“Really?” Victoria asked. When the bookseller nodded, she then said, “Well, _muchas gracias_ , señor!”

 

“You’re welcome, señorita!” the bookseller replied, waving at her as she left the store.

 

Once Victoria left the store, she began reading the book, smiling to herself. “ _Once upon a time, there was a very poor woodcutter who had three beautiful daughters – and of the three girls, the youngest was the most beautiful_ …”

 

She eventually sat down at a fountain, as she continued to read the story, immersing herself in it. While she loved all book genres, romance was her favorite by far – the passion put into the writing, along with the characters all reeled her in. “ _The Bear remained thoughtful, then said, ‘There is only one way in which your life may be saved: you have to give me one of your daughters’ hand in marriage.’_ ”

 

As she was reading the book aloud, a tall man of fifty years began to approach her – his hair was a light brown and expertly slicked back while he had a bit of a beard, and he was dressed in a black suit. His name was Bruno Acosta, and he came from an aristocratic family. As a result of his rich heritage – and his knack for hunting back when he was alive, before he died after being bitten by poisonous snake that had crawled up his leg – a lot of people in the Land of the Dead looked up to him and idolized him. Most of the young single women swooned over him, except for a certain Rivera woman – whom he had his eyes on, as she was the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen.

 

Victoria didn’t take notice of the man, as she was more occupied in the tale of the bear prince and his fair maiden. “ _In an instant, the Bear transformed into a handsome prince,_ ” she continued. “ _He told Ninfa, ‘I am a prince, cursed by a witch to be a bear by day and a man by night. You can do anything you want around here – but on one condition: you are to never reveal my true identity.’_ ”

 

As Bruno stopped right in front of her, he quickly snatched the book from her hands, causing her to look up at him annoyed. “Hola, Victoria,” he greeted her, flashing her a charming smile.

 

But Victoria did not find his smile charming – in fact, she found nothing about him charming or appealing. When he first came into town, she saw how self-centered and arrogant he was – especially with how he only seemed to be interested in her for her beauty. Still, she tried to keep calm as she stood up and greeted him back, “Hola, Señor Acosta.” She reached out for her book. “Puedo recuperar mi libro, por favor?”

 

Bruno moved the book away, opening it up and flipping through some of the pages. “Honestly, how can you read this when there aren’t any pictures?”

 

“I’ve been reading books without pictures since I was three,” she answered, trying her best not to snap at him. Honestly, he was seven years older than her and yet he was so ignorant to the point where it was just embarrassing. “It’s easy to do so if you actually use your imagination.”

 

He looked at her. “You shouldn’t be reading this nonsense,” he remarked, closing the book and throwing it to the ground. “It’s bad enough that your father and grandparents are crazy enough to make you work in that desolate, rickety old place you call a shoe shop, it’s worse that they let you waste your time on a bunch of novels. It’s not right for a girl like you to behave this way.”

 

Victoria bent down to grab her book, before she looked back at Bruno. The nerve he had, to insult her own family and their business right in front of her. “My papá, abuela and abuelo are _not_ crazy!” she snapped as she stood back up. “Without the shoe business, we would have _nothing_ – we’d be living on the streets, eating leftovers from the marketplace! Besides, how would _you_ know what’s best for me?” _You know nothing about me_ , she wanted to say, but instead she breathed in and out, trying to calm herself down. She refused to let some unwanted, chauvinistic suitor ruin her day.

 

Bruno put his hands up. “Woah, calm down there, Imelda Junior.” He grinned as he tried draping an arm over her shoulder. “I’m just saying a woman should occupy herself with more important things, like finding herself a man – speaking of which, would you care to join me at the bar? I could buy us a couple of drinks.”

 

She rolled her eyes. Honestly, how could he pride himself as an ‘expert’ on women when he couldn’t even take a hint and realize that she wasn’t interested in him? Just how brainless and self-absorbed was he? “I’d rather not,” she answered, moving away from him. “I have to get back home to mi familia.”

 

She quickly began to walk away, just as she heard him mutter “that family is full of lunatics”. She bit her lip as she fought back the urge to shout at him.

 

Thankfully, Óscar and Felipe weren’t too far away. They turned to her, smiling as she walked up to them. Then, their smiles faltered a bit as they noticed look on her face, as she was still slightly irritated.

 

“What happened?” Óscar asked, as the three began to walk back to the shoe shop. “You look a little upset.”

 

“Yeah, like that Bruno guy came saying the usual rubbish,” Felipe added.

  
“Hmmph!” Victoria dusted her book off, before she held it close to her chest. “You have _no_ idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, just a curious question: i was debating who the one journeying to ernesto's place should be, since you all know how beauty and beast meet in the storyline, with the dad ending up at the castle... a part of me wants to throw in miguel (and rosa as an extra) ending up in the lotd as a twist, but another part of me wants it to be julio who ends up at ernesto's mansion? or at least one of the riveras?? i'd love to hear some ideas from y'all, since i'm still pretty conflicted about this one detail since our two leads have to meet somehow. :") 
> 
> and #endbruno2k18. on a random note though, i imagine that if this was an actual film, he'd be voiced by antonio banderas. don't ask me why, that thought just won't leave my head. as for 'el principe oso', it does not belong to me; it is merely a mexican fairytale which can be found online if you search it up. i only reworded it a bit due to me being a perfectionist in grammar (despite mine not being that great either rip).
> 
> anyway, what did you guys think of this chapter? i always love hearing your thoughts and opinions. :D


	3. 002. a little family love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, i’ve decided that julio shall be taking maurice’s role – mainly because i wanna see him bonding with victoria, and also because i didn’t think the whole scenario with miguel thoroughly so, yeah. also, i’d like to thank hexly for a suggestion – it’ll be of great service in the next chapter. ;)  
> but for now, here’s some family bonding: rivera style!

When Victoria and the twins made it back to the shoe shop, Julio was the first one to notice the irritated look on his daughter’s face.

 

“What’s wrong, mija?” Julio asked, as he watched his daughter sit down on a chair at the work table. “You look a little upset.”

 

“I’m fine,” she lied as she placed her book on her lap, while Rosita passed down to her the materials needed to craft a sandal. She was silent as she began crafting the shoe, remembering Bruno’s words – how he had said _It’s not right for a girl like you to behave this way._ “Papá,” she began, looking at her father, “do you think I’m an improper woman?”

 

Everyone else in the work shop immediately turned to her, shocked to hear such a question.

 

“My daughter, an _improper woman?_ ” Julio asked, repeating her words. “Where did you get that idea from?”

 

“Señor Acosta said it wasn’t right for a girl like me to read and work in the shop,” Victoria explained, frowning as she recalled the man’s smug grin.

 

“You shouldn’t listen to him,” Rosita advised her niece. “He’s just being unreasonable.”

 

“Besides, he can’t dictate what you do,” Felipe remarked.

 

“He’s just a random stranger, not a spirit guide or an ancestor,” Óscar added.

 

“Well, _he_ seems to think that he knows what’s best for me,” Victoria continued, sounding bitter. “He thinks that I should ‘occupy myself with more important things’ like _him_ , and that you’re all _lunatics_ for letting me act so 'unladylike.'” She had a disgusted tone of voice as she spat out the last words.

 

“Is that so?” Imelda clenched her teeth in anger, as she lifted her leg up and began to take off one of her boots. There was not a chance in hell that the little _imbécil_ would get away with acting so horrid around her granddaughter. “Then I suppose I’ll just have to show him what happens when you mess with a Rivera—!”

 

Héctor immediately placed his hands on his wife’s shoulder as he tried to soothe her, “Cálmate, amor.” While he, too, wanted to grind Señor Acosta into a pulp, he knew that now wasn’t the time and that his granddaughter needed a bit of support.

 

“But Héctor, that man—”

 

“—I know, but now is not the time,” he cut her off, as he gestured to their granddaughter.

 

“Don’t listen to that man, mija,” Julio said as he walked over to his daughter. “He knows nothing – never had to work a day in his life, nor learned how to treat a woman.” He took her hand as she looked at him. “You’re not an improper woman – you’re very unique, in fact.”

 

“You think so?” Victoria asked, as her spirits were lifted a little by her father’s encouraging words.

 

“I _know_ so,” Julio replied with a smile on his face. “You are your mamá’s daughter – you have as much grace, kindness and beauty as she does.”

 

Victoria smiled back and hugged her father. “Gracias, Papá,” she whispered.

 

“De nada, mija,” he murmured, patting her back. When they pulled away from the hug, he suddenly had an idea. Perhaps, she would feel even more better after receiving a gift. “Victoria, is there something that you would like?”

 

She tilted her head in confusion. “Why do you ask?”

 

“I just want to know, is there anything you’d like to have?” Julio questioned his daughter.

 

“Well…” she trailed off as she thought about it for a moment. She had already gotten a book, and she knew that she couldn’t voice her secret desires – so she then thought of her mother; how Coco would often head out to the local greenhouse just to sniff the special marigold flowers, without the inner reds. She smiled at the memory, then said, “Marigolds – the pure golden ones, like from the greenhouses back in Santa Cecilia.”

 

“Well then – this afternoon, I’ll head out and get you those flowers!” Julio declared.

 

“Oh, that’s so sweet!” Héctor remarked, putting his hand over his chest. Then, he realized that his son-in-law meant that he was heading out alone. “Wait, you’re doing it on _your own?_ ”

 

When Julio nodded, the others got a little concerned. He was much more shorter and frail, so the thought of him heading out alone was worrying.

 

“Are you sure, hermano?” Rosita asked. “I could always come with you.”

 

“No, hermana, you don’t have to,” Julio dismissed her suggestion.

 

“But you don’t know—” Óscar began.

 

“—what could happen out there,” Felipe finished his brother’s sentence.

 

“They’re right,” Imelda agreed with her younger brothers. “It’s best if you have someone to accompany you – like Pepita.”

 

“I’m eighty-four,” Julio deadpanned. “I may be old, but I can still do things by myself without the help of mi familia or an alebrije.”

 

Victoria felt a little anxious about her father leaving. So many things could happen – he could get lost, or end up at the wrong place at the wrong time. “Papá, you don’t have to do this for me,” she spoke, concern evident in her tone. “I’ll be fine. They’re just flowers, nothing special.”

 

“Nonsense, mija – you want those marigolds, so I’ll get you those marigolds,” Julio insisted, with a wave of his hand. “It won’t take long. I’ll be back before dark, I promise.”

 

The family all looked at each other, then nodded slowly.

 

“Okay,” Victoria sighed. “But please be careful out there.”

 

“I’ll be fine,” Julio said, taking his daughter’s hand once more, squeezing it gently. “What’s the worst that could happen, anyway?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> julio is best dad, and the rivera family is best family. nothing can change my mind about this.
> 
> but at the same time, rip julio he’s gotta be sacrificed for the crack ship cause  
> this is so sad, alexa play remember me gael garcia bernal edition


	4. 003. a trip gone wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Julio ends up eating his words.  
> Literally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> major shoutout to both hexly and k-chips for some of their suggestions! they really helped a lot with this chapter. thank you!

When it was afternoon, Julio was ready to head out. As he stepped onto the patio, he looked back and waved goodbye to his family as they gathered at the porch. “Adiós, mi familia!”

 

“Adiós, Papá!” Victoria called out to her father, waving her hand. “Stay safe!”

 

“I will, mija!” he yelled back. “Take care while I’m gone, okay?”

 

“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine!” Rosita said, smiling as she placed a hand on her niece’s shoulder.

 

“Yes – just be back before dark, alright?” Imelda requested.

 

“Sí!” Julio cried out, before he then left.

 

 _Santa María, por favor mantenlo a salvo_ , Victoria prayed silently, as the others began to head back inside the house. She looked at the place where he once stood, before she soon followed after the others. _Please, don’t let anything happen to him…_

 

* * *

 

Unfortunately, finding the flowers wasn’t as easy as Julio thought it would be. Most of the flower shops were either sold out, or they only had the marigolds with the inner reds – no store had the pure golden ones his daughter wished for.

 

He continued walking down the road. He was far from home now, and it was getting dark – but he refused to give up. He would get Victoria the marigolds, no matter what.

 

He did regret one thing, though – not taking his family’s advice and allowing one of them to accompany him. Now that it was getting dark, he was beginning to see why they were concerned, as the atmosphere became eerily silent. “Should’ve just said yes to Rosita’s offer,” he murmured, shuddering as he passed by an alleyway. “Maybe, if I listened to Mamá Imelda and took Pepita, I could have gotten her to sniff out the flowers…”

 

Then, suddenly, there was a loud bark.

 

Julio looked around, startled by the barking. “Who – who’s there?”

 

There was another bark – and then, a xolo alebrije with wings stepped out of the shadows and sat in front of him. The xolo had a collar around its neck, with a name engraved into it.

 

Julio walked over to the alebrije, looking at the collar as he read aloud, “Dante…” He looked at the xolo. “Huh, so what brings you here? Have you come to guide me?”

 

Dante stuck out his tongue, panting a little.

 

Julio chuckled, shaking his head while he put his hand to his forehead. “Oh, who am I kidding? You’ve already got a collar. I can’t ask you to help me find a marigold that is pure gold.”

 

Dante’s ears perked up as the words left the man’s mouth. He grabbed the man’s arm with his teeth, as he began to run, dragging him along.

 

“Ay! _Qué estás haciendo?!_ ” Julio yelled out, surprised by the xolo’s sudden actions.

 

The xolo continued to drag him, until he let go as they neared a large hole.

 

“What is your problem?” Julio demanded, narrowing his eyes at the xolo.

 

Dante pointed his nose ahead – in his direction, there was less darkness and more light. The xolo spread his wings, and began to fly ahead.

 

Julio tilted his head, taking a couple of steps forward as he began to follow the alebrije – until, suddenly, he fell into the large hole and landed in water. His hat came off, sinking to the bottom of the small lake.

 

He coughed out some water, as he heard the alebrije let out a whimper. He looked around, noticing that the little cenote he was in resembled the catacombs, as some people described them – dark, cold, mysterious; the entrance to the Land of the Intermediate, a place between the realm of the forgotten and remembered.

 

He looked back up at the top of the cenote, as Dante peered over, whimpering. As much as he wished that he could climb up, he knew that he was too short to do so. Looking back down, he saw a small passage up ahead, a bit of its light peeking into the catacombs.

 

Curious, he decided to go through the passage, which lead to a small paved road. He followed the road, until he saw a mansion up ahead.

 

“Woah,” Julio gasped, as he made his way over to the mansion’s front doors.

 

As he was about to knock on the doors, they creaked open. He slowly stepped inside the mansion, looking around. It was well-decorated, as dozens of candles lit up the walls.

 

“Um…” Julio looked around, trying to see if there was anyone else in the mansion. “Hello?”

 

He ascended the staircase, to a grand hall – yet, it was empty. “Is – is anyone here?” he called out.

 

“Aww,” a young man’s voice whispered. “Do you think the old man fell into the catacombs? He looks as though he came from the Land of the Remembered, after all.”

 

“Cállate!” another male voice hissed. “It doesn’t matter how he got here – all that matters is staying quiet. If we keep our muzzles shut, he’ll probably leave.”

 

“There must be _someone_ here,” Julio murmured as he continued looking around the halls.

 

“I swear on the master’s name, Sixto,” the second voice growled, “if you so much as open your mouth, I will _rip_ your tongue out with my _teeth!_ ”

 

“I’m sorry for bursting in so suddenly,” Julio apologized. “It’s just that I fell into the hole, after I tried searching for the marigolds that my daughter wanted…”

 

Sixto looked at his brother, giving him the puppy eyes – quite literally. “Oh, Urtzi, where’s your sense of compassion?”

 

“ _I said cállate!_ ” Urtzi growled again, showing his teeth off. While talking had its perks, he was beginning to regret the ‘gift’ bestowed upon him and his littermates when Xibalba had decided to curse their owner – to keep him entertained, the god had explained.

 

Sixto was unfazed by his brother’s attempts to shut him up, and he bounded out from underneath a table towards the old man. “Allow me to help you with your little flower problem, Señor!”

  
“Who said that?” Julio asked as he turned around, only to see a Chihuahua alebrije bounding towards him.

 

“It was me!” Sixto beamed at him as his tail wagged.

 

Julio’s eyes widened. “ _Dios mío!_ You can _talk?!_ ” he cried out in shock.

 

“Gee, I don’t know – can you bark?” Urtzi asked sarcastically, his beady eyes rolling as he walked up beside the other Chihuahua. “Of _course_ he can talk! How else would you two be communicating right now?”

 

“I – I’m sorry,” Julio stammered, fiddling with his fingers. “It’s just that I’ve never seen a talking alebrije before…”

 

“It’s fine, Señor.” Sixto flashed a toothy grin at the old man for a moment. Then he said, “You mentioned that you were trying to find a marigold flower for your daughter, correct?”

 

Julio nodded. “Yes – the pure golden ones.”

 

“Oh, how lucky you are – we’ve got some fresh, pure gold marigolds here!” Sixto exclaimed. Nodding his head, he gestured to two more staircases – the first leading upward, while the second led downward.

 

But just as the Chiahuahua was about to lead the old man downstairs, Urtzi ran in front of them. “Do you have _any_ idea what Maestro will do when he finds out about this?” he asked his littermate.

 

Then, two more Chihuahua alebrijes ran in – one was a girl and the same size as the other two, while the second was a boy who was a bit smaller.

 

“What are you two arguing about this time?” the female Chihuahua asked. Then, she yelped out in surprise as she saw Julio.

 

“Oh, Coletta – gracias a Dios!” Urtzi sighed in relief as he walked over to his sister. “Please, try to knock some sense back into Sixto. He’s trying to give this stranger one of Maestro’s marigolds!”

 

The smaller Chihuahua padded over to Julio, nuzzling up against his leg. The old man smiled and patted the puppy’s head, causing the alebrije to sniff his hand. The small pup looked at Coletta and yipped happily, “He smells like an old boot, Letta!”

 

Coletta looked at the runt, before looking back at Urtzi. “I see no harm in letting him have _one_ marigold,” she stated. “He seems nice, and Alípio likes him.”

 

“Oh, _you’ve got to be kidding me!_ ” Urtzi barked out in frustration. “It doesn’t matter if he’s nice, or if Alí likes him – he shouldn’t be here in the first place! If Maestro sees him, he will—”

 

“—I will do what?” a voice interrupted.

 

Everyone in the room turned to see a man enter the room. He was dressed in a white mariachi suit, with his black hair neatly combed while he had a moustache, and his eyes were chocolate brown. He seemed to be around forty-six years.

 

“M-Maestro!” Sixto sputtered out, a little frightened. While he knew his owner wouldn’t hurt him or his siblings, he was concerned about what would happen to the old man. “If you would allow me to explain—”

 

“There’s nothing to explain,” the forty-six year-old said, as he looked at Julio. “It’s clear as day – someone has broken in.”

 

“I’d like to say that I had no part in this!” Urtzi tried to defend himself. “I kept telling them—” He stopped midsentence as his owner looked at him, narrowing his eyes. He backed up underneath one of the tables along with his siblings, as they watched their master approach the old man.

 

“Quién eres tú?” the forty-six year-old demanded. “Por qué estás en mi mansión?”

 

“I fell into the catacombs, and—” Julio started, only to be interrupted by the other man.

 

“—you _shouldn’t_ have come here,” he hissed.

 

“I’m sorry,” Julio tried to apologize. “I only wanted to get a gift for my daughter…”

 

“Well then,” the other man started, his voice eerily calm yet firm, “I’m afraid your daughter won’t be getting her gift anytime soon… if ever.”

 

“Wh-what do you mean by that?” Julio asked, stammering a little.

 

“What I mean is that you won’t be leaving anytime soon,” the other man said, as he picked the old man up, dragging him out of the room.

 

“No, please!” Julio cried out. “I have a family waiting for me! My daughter – I promised her I would come home! _No!_ ”

 

Sixto, Urtzi, Coletta and Alípio watched in horror as the man was dragged away. There was only one thought on their minds, and it was of how heartbroken the man’s family would be when the next morning would come, and he wouldn’t be home.

 

* * *

 

After padding back and forth for a while, Dante had decided to track down where Julio had gone.

 

Only, when he had finally done so, he ended up at the doorsteps of the mansion and heard the old man’s cries.

 

The xolo whimpered, and quickly went back to the cenote. He swam to the bottom, grabbing the straw hat in his teeth before he shook himself dry on the island. Then, he flew up, out of the catacombs.

 

He needed to find the man’s daughter – _fast._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, i took a little creative turn and threw in dante as phillipe! why, you may ask? because i need victoria to find out her father’s whereabouts _somehow_. ~~please dont blame the poor xolo he just wanted to help, but shit happens~~
> 
> also, i realize that the names used for the chihuahuas aren't common in mexico, but i thought they were really cool so i decided to use them. as for voice headcanons: i imagine sixto would be voiced by diego luna, urtzi would be voiced by guillermo del toro (shhh don't ask just go with it), coletta would be voiced by zoe saldana and i'm not sure who alipio would be voiced by except i'd imagine he'd be voiced by a child actor probably. idk, either way _talking alebrije puppies are the greatest thing ever and thank you so much to k-chips for helping me realize this ily_
> 
> in the next chapter, we'll get back to the riveras (and bruno, sadly) and let's just say it'll be a _doozy_... anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this one. i know it's not exactly as grand of an introduction compared to the scene in batb, but hey, what can you do. a chapter's still a chapter, so i can't complain much. :P


	5. 004. a failed proposal and a tough decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our two leads finally meet. 
> 
> (And Bruno, of course, tries to court Vico again but _nobody's_ having it.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, here it is. the chapter you’ve all been waiting for. i won’t say much in this beginning note, other than that i had to throw in another OC just to take up the role of lefou since i totally forgot that bit since it was so minor… oops. but it did give me a chance to put more twists into here, aside from the ones already made, so that's good i suppose.

“Tío Bruno, are you sure this’ll work?”

 

Standing beside Señor Acosta – not too far from the shoe shop – was a young man of nineteen years, with short grey hair and a vest with matching pants. It was his nephew, Andrés.

 

Bruno looked at his nephew, narrowing his eyes at the boy. “Are you saying that you doubt me?”

 

“N-no, of course not!” Andrés lied, putting his hands up. Truth be told, his uncle had always scared him to the point where he was afraid to say anything that would upset him – and so, he followed his orders, as he didn’t have much of a choice. “It’s just… how can you be so sure that Señorita Victoria will accept your proposal?”

 

“How can she not?” Bruno asked, before he then took a few steps towards the shoe shop, with his nephew trailing behind. He looked back at the boy once again and said, “Now, when Victoria and I come out of that door…”

 

“…I’ll call a priest and ask her family if they can play some music for the ceremony?” Andrés questioned, hoping he got it right.

 

Bruno glared at the nineteen year-old, before he slapped him across the face. “No,  _idiota!_  You’re supposed to call Los Chacalacos to perform at the ceremony, not those _tontos!_ ”

 

Andrés winced and rubbed the sore parts of his face, before nodding. “Lo siento, Tío,” he murmured, then walked away to do as his uncle had told. 

 

* * *

 

Inside the shoe shop, Victoria was sitting on the couch in the living room, reading a book. Óscar and Felipe sat next to her, their eyes focused on the television program they were watching. Rosita was straightening up some crooked photo frames.

 

Héctor was in the kitchen preparing arroz con leche, while Imelda was setting up the table.

 

Then, there was a knock on the door. Everyone stopped what they were doing, and gathered around near the entrance of the shop.

 

“Who could be knocking at this hour?” Imelda asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. She had a feeling that it was the same man who was making those unwanted advances on her granddaughter.

 

“Maybe it’s Julio?” Héctor guessed, though a part of him suspected the same thing his wife had.

 

“If it was Julio, then wouldn’t he have said it was him?” Rosita questioned.

 

“I’ll go check and see if it really is Papá,” Victoria stated, before she headed over to the door. Hoping that it was her father, she peeked through the door’s window, letting out a groan as she saw who it actually was. “It’s Señor Acosta.”

 

“He’s still at it?” Óscar asked, surprised.

 

“I thought he would’ve taken a hint by now,” Felipe remarked, causing his brother to chuckle a little.

 

“Apparently not,” Victoria sighed, rolling her eyes. “He’s not going to leave until I answer the door, so I might as well do it now…”

 

“No, mija – let me take care of it,” Héctor offered. “I can show him what happens when someone messes with the wrong familia.”

 

Victoria shook her head. “It’s fine, Abuelito. I can handle it.” She then gestured to the living room. “Just go over there, while I take care of this.”

 

The rest of the family looked at each other, before they headed to the living room. As soon as they left, Victoria opened the door.

 

“Señor Acosta – what a surprise it is to see you here,” she said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible while she put on a fake grin.

 

Meanwhile, the other Riveras had begun to eavesdrop, waiting to see how things would turn out.

 

“I'm a man who’s just full of surprises,” Bruno boasted as he stepped into the house. “I’m sure you’re aware that there are many women in town who would _die all over again_ just to be in your place.” He grinned at her. “Today is the day your dream comes true.”

 

“ _Mierda_ ,” Imelda whispered, already not liking where this was going. If it weren’t for the fact that her husband had a good grip on her shoulders, she would’ve ran up to the fifty year-old and beat him with her boot.

 

“What would _you_ know about my dreams?” Victoria asked, raising an eyebrow. She was already getting peeved at his actions.

 

“I know the basics,” he replied, stepping a little closer to her, much to her displeasure. “Try imagining this idyllic scene: a rural house, a batch of buñuelos cooking on the stove, my little wife tending to my every need – while the little ones run around. We’ll adopt either six or seven.”

 

“Alebrijes?” She tried to sound as though she was oblivious to what he meant, but really she knew _exactly_ what he was trying to imply – he not only wanted her to be obedient wife, but the mother of his children.

 

“No – young strapping boys, such as myself,” he bragged once more.

 

“I am _not_ hearing this,” Héctor muttered, repulsed at what he’d just heard. He was barely restraining Imelda and himself at this point, as he wanted to get rid of the unwanted suitor as soon as possible.

 

“Just incredible,” Rosita mumbled.

 

“So _unweddable_ ,” the twins whispered in unison.

 

“Imagine that,” Victoria scoffed, moving away from the fifty year-old. He was so _insufferable_ – she couldn’t stand him.

 

But Bruno was a persistent man who liked a challenge. “And do you know who that wife is?”

 

“I wonder who?”

 

“ _You_ , Victoria!”

 

Rosita, Óscar and Felipe’s eyes widened, astonished by his words. Imelda quickly scrambled to take off her boot, while Héctor was ready to head upstairs to get his old guitar and bash Señor Acosta’s skull with it.

 

“Señor Acosta, I – I don’t know what to say.” Victoria backed away from him until her back was pressed up against the door. She looked over to where her family was, nodding a little at her grandmother.

 

Bruno began to walk towards her. “Say you’ll marry me.”

 

“My sincerest apologies, Señor Acosta, but—” Victoria moved her hand towards the doorknob, twisting it while her grandmother had begun to walk up behind the fifty year-old, raising her boot high above his head. “But there’s not a chance that I’ll be saddled with a _mamón_ like you!”

 

Just as the door swung open, Imelda struck the back of Bruno’s head with her boot, causing him to fall face-first onto the ground. “And that’sfor being a _cabrón_ around my granddaughter!” she yelled, shaking her boot.

 

Héctor stepped out onto the porch and shouted, “Never come near my _querida nieta_ ever again, or else you’ll be Pepita’s new chew toy!” He then slammed the door shut.

 

Andrés returned a few seconds later, only to find his uncle rubbing the back of his skull. “I take it that she said no?” he guessed.

 

Bruno shot a glare at his nephew, before he hissed, “One way or another, I _will_ have Victoria as my wife!”

 

Then, he stormed off with his nephew trailing behind him.

 

A few minutes after they left, Victoria opened the door again and looked around. "Is he gone?" 

 

“Don’t worry, Vico, he’s long gone,” Rosita assured her.

 

“And he won’t be coming back if he knows what’s good for him,” Héctor added.

 

Victoria stepped out onto the porch. “Can you imagine?” she asked angrily. “He asked me to _marry him!_ The nerve of that _brutish, witless_ —”

 

Suddenly, there was loud barking. Everyone turned to see a xolo alebrije running towards them, carrying a straw hat in its mouth.

 

Victoria’s eyes widened as she recognized the hat as her father’s. She ran over to the alebrije, catching him in her arms as she grabbed the hat. “This is Papá’s hat,” she murmured, staring at the hat as she began to fear the worst. She looked back at the xolo, studying his collar for a moment before looking at his face. “Dante… why do you have my father’s hat?”

 

Dante barked again, looking distressed.

 

“What’s going on?” Imelda asked, as the rest of the family walked over to the two.

 

“Something happened to Papá,” Victoria responded, looking at her grandmother before looking back at Dante. “We have to find him – you have to take us to him, Dante!”

 

The xolo whimpered before grabbing the hems of the woman’s dress, dragging her back a bit.

 

“What are you doing?” Victoria questioned the alebrije.

 

He let out a loud bark as he pointed his nose at her family, shaking his head. Then, he grabbed her dress for a moment, before letting go as he pointed ahead.

 

She then understood what he meant. “I think he only wants me to come with him,” she spoke as she looked back at her family.

 

“But we already lost Julio—” Óscar started.

 

“—we can’t lose you, too!” Felipe finished.

 

“I am capable of taking care of myself,” Victoria reassured them. “I will be fine.”

 

Héctor and Imelda looked at each other, before looking back at their granddaughter.

 

“Alright, but come home soon,” Imelda said. “And if something happens, do not be afraid to use your shoes, okay?”

 

Victoria nodded. “Don’t worry, Abuelita. I’ll come home with Papá – safe and sound.”

 

And with that, she began to follow Dante as he led her away.

 

Héctor bit his lip as he watched his granddaughter leave. He was worried – would she come back or not?

 

He wondered if this was how his wife and daughter had felt when he left to tour with Ernesto, if they had been just as worried if not more—

 

 _No_ , he told himself. _Those times are over. Ernesto is gone and you are home now, where you belong._

 

Still, a part of him couldn’t help but notice how eerie the similarities were. Hopefully though, Victoria would come home with Julio, just as he’d returned home to Imelda and Coco.

 

* * *

 

After a couple of hours wandering around – followed by falling into the catacombs and being led through there by Dante – Victoria came across the mansion. While it looked large and lavish, it gave her a strange feeling – like something was amiss, especially since it was located in the Land of the Intermediate.

 

“Is this the right place?” she asked, looking down at Dante.

 

The xolo barked, answering her question. Victoria then walked up to the doors, pushing them a bit, causing them to open. “Don’t worry, Papá,” she muttered, determined to get her father and bring him home. He was not going to disappear from the family, like her grandfather almost had. She was going to make sure of it. “I’m coming.”

 

* * *

 

In a spare living room near the main hall, Urtzi was berating Sixto while Coletta and Alípio were watching as though it was a telenovela.

 

“I told you to keep quiet!” Urtzi ranted. “But no, you refused to listen! Now look at what’s happened!”

 

“Well _excuse me_ for being nice!” Sixto retorted. “Can you blame me for trying to make the most of what’s left of our time here by doing _one_ good deed? After all, we only have so much time left before Día de Muertos!”

 

“I know that, but—”

 

“—and the glowing!” Coletta interrupted. “You two and Maestro have always shone so bright – but nowadays, the shimmering has gotten worse! Every day, we’re getting closer and closer to disappearing from this realm – to entering the Land of the Forgotten…”

 

“It’s not fair!” Alípio whined. “We didn’t do anything to deserve this!”

 

“Ah, but remember: before his career, Maestro tried poisoning his friend,” Coletta pointed out. “Señor Rivera almost died that night.”

 

“Yes, but…” the runt trailed off, before he looked down at the ground, whimpering.

 

“Hold on, Alí,” Urtzi said, placing a paw on the runt’s back. “We all have to hold on.”

 

Then, they heard footsteps. They all decided to take a peek, and saw Victoria entering the castle.

 

“Look – it’s a girl!” Sixto whispered, excited to see that there was still a chance that the curse could be broken.

 

“I can see it’s a girl, _tonto._ ” Urtzi rolled his beady eyes. “I’m not blind.”

 

“What if she’s the one?” Coletta asked. “The one who could lift the curse?”

 

Victoria stopped in her tracks as she heard the voices, turning around as the others ducked to hide. “Who said that?” When she received no response, she continued up the stairs, calling out, “Is there anyone here?”

 

She continued searching through one of the corridors, until she passed by a brown door. “Is there anyone here?”

 

“Victoria?” a familiar voice asked, from behind the door.

 

Victoria ran back over to the door, as she recognized the voice. “Papá!” She tried twisting the doorknob, but the door was locked.

  
“H-how did you find this place?” Julio asked, sounding fearful.

 

She noticed how shaky her father’s voice was. “Are you alright, Papá?” she questioned him.

 

“I’m fine, mija,” he lied. “What’s important is that you get out of here _now._ ”

 

“Who is the _monstruo enfermo_ that locked you up?” Victoria was determined to find out who was responsible for this, along with getting her father home.

 

“There's no time for an explanation,” Julio said quickly. “You have to leave now, before he finds you!”

 

She would not leave, though. “Before _who_ finds me?”

 

“ _What are you doing here?!_ ” a voice yelled angrily.

 

Startled, she turned around, only to face a man who appeared to be only three years older than her. “Who – _who are you?_ ”

 

“I am Ernesto de la Cruz,” the man answered. “The one who owns this mansion.”

 

Victoria’s eyes narrowed as she glared at the man. “So _you’re_ the one who locked mi papá up! Release him now!”

 

“If he didn’t want to be locked up in the first place, then he shouldn’t have trespassed on my property!” Ernesto shouted.

 

She lifted her leg up, before she took one of her huaraches off and threw it at his head. “He was lost, _maldito idiota,_ ” she said sternly, yet she didn’t raise her voice. Instead, she tried to keep as calm as she could, though it was difficult considering the circumstances. “He meant no harm to you, and yet you locked him up in some tiny room!”

 

He ducked just in time, before the shoe could hit his head. He shook a little as he glanced at the shoe, before looking back at her. He had only known one woman who had a tendency to throw her shoes, and that was his former friend’s wife – however, this woman was much more different. While she did have a bit of a fire and spirit within her, she seemed much more relaxed – she was calm, yet firm at the same time. Not to mention, she was _very_ pretty – yet, there was a bit of familiarity to her as well. He just couldn’t figure out what it was.

 

“Let mi papá go,” she ordered. “I will do anything – just _please_  let him out.”

 

Ernesto turned away from her. “I’m sorry, Señorita, but there is nothing you can do for him.”

 

Victoria bit her lip, feeling guilty. If she hadn’t mentioned the marigolds in the first place, then her father would have never left, and they wouldn’t be in this mess right now. Still, there had to be _some_ way for her to fix this – to make things right.

 

Then, an idea hit her. It was a tough choice to make, but there was no other way her father could be freed unless she did it. “Wait – take _me_ instead!” 

 

“ _No!_ ” Julio cried out.

 

Ernesto froze, then turned to her. “What did you say?”

 

“Victoria, don’t do it!” Julio begged his daughter. “I already lost you _once_ when you died, I don’t want to lose you again!”

 

She ignored her father. “If I take mi papá’s place, will you let him go?”

 

Ernesto paused for a moment. Perhaps, he thought, this woman could be the one to break the spell. “Yes,” he replied. “But once you take his place, you can’t leave – you have to stay here.”

 

“Can I have a minute alone with him?” Victoria requested. She at least wanted to have just one more moment with her father, before she would give up her freedom forever.

 

Ernesto nodded and walked away, leaving the two alone.

 

“I should have never said anything about flowers in the first place,” Victoria blamed herself as she placed a hand on the door. “I should have accompanied you…”

 

“Mija, no – it’s alright,” Julio tried comforting his daughter as he also placed a hand on the door, which was the only thing keeping them from embracing. “You still have a chance – just leave and forget about me.”

 

“ _Forget you?_ ” Victoria repeated his words in disbelief. “How can I forget mi papá – the man who raised me and took care of me for so many years?”

 

“Don’t worry, Victoria. I’ll be okay,” he assured her. “You have your abuelo, abuela, tíos and tía – and when Día de Muertos arrives, you’ll be surrounded by our living relatives, especially your sister and your mamá.”

 

“I know,” she whispered. “But I refuse to let you suffer because of my selfishness.”

 

“What—?”

 

Ernesto soon came back. Victoria turned to the forty-six year-old and stated, “You have my word, De la Cruz.”

 

“Done!” Ernesto pulled a key out of his coat pocket and went over to the door. As he unlocked it, she fell to her knees.

 

As soon as the door was open, Julio rushed over to his daughter and hugged her tightly. “I love you, mija,” he told her.

 

“I love you too, Papá,” she replied, hugging him back.

 

Their moment was short-lived, however, as he was yanked away from her by Ernesto.

 

“Papá!” she cried out, reaching for her father.

 

“No, no – por favor, let her go!” Julio begged, as he was dragged away from his daughter. “Let her go! _Victoria!_ ”

 

Ernesto paid no mind to his pleas, however, as he dragged him downstairs – out of the mansion, where Dante was waiting, carrying the old man’s hat in his mouth.

 

The xolo yelped as the forty-six year-old stepped closer, before dropping the old man.

 

“If xolos are truly as mighty as many people say they are, then guide this man back to the Land of the Remembered,” Ernesto ordered, before he went back into the mansion and slammed the doors shut.

 

Dante whined for a moment, dropping the hat in front of Julio. He looked at him with big eyes, as though he were saying _I’m sorry._

Julio picked up his hat, putting it back on his head as he glanced at the mansion. “I’ll come back,” he whispered. “I promise.”

 

* * *

 

Having heard De la Cruz’s words from upstairs, Victoria placed her head in her knees as a wave of grief washed over her. To think, she had taken her provincial life for granted – now, she would never be able to see her family again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so, the crackship otp finally meets! granted, it will take some time before we get there (especially with how things have started off, since victoria is a rivera woman while ernesto is still ernesto), but still: it begins!! 
> 
> the rivera family’s bond is still wonderful, and the father/daughter relationship is so sweet that it makes me cry a bit. it honestly hurts to see them separate but alas, it’s for the crack ship cause yet again. :’)
> 
> also, i changed the rating due to the "colorful" language used in this chapter. because there's no way that a bunch of adults wouldn't curse, especially since miguel isn't present. as for victoria's grieving at the end: like belle, she just lost her dad, so i think i'm justified in making her a little emotional here. 
> 
> anyways, hope you enjoyed this little 3,000 word chap. see ya in the next one! ;D


	6. 005. new home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, it finally begins: the courting (and wounding of de la cruz’s pride) shall start… but first, we must get the awkward scene out of the way. enjoy this small chapter. >:3c

As Ernesto began to head back up the stairs, he began to think of his new ‘guest.’ If she was to be staying there, then perhaps he should give her a more comfortable room – as well as return her shoe to her. Being hospitable was the least he could do, after all.

 

As he headed back to the corridor he left her at, he picked up her huarache. Then, he approached the sulking woman. "I believe that this shoe belongs to you, sí?"

 

Victoria looked up from her lap. As her gaze fixated on the man in front of her, her eyebrows furrowed as she glared at him. "You didn't even let me say goodbye!" she yelled as she stood up. "That was the last time I would see him, and you just dragged him away like he was a ragdoll!"

 

Ernesto frowned, feeling ashamed. He remembered the last time he had been yelled at like that, during that dreaded night in 1921. He tried masking his guilt with a blank expression. "Come with me," he said. "I'll show you to your new room."

 

" _My_ _new room?_ " she repeated his words, surprised. She hadn't expected him to show some hospitality towards her, especially with the way he treated her father. It was like he couldn't make up his mind. "A few minutes ago, you threw my father out, and now you're showing me some _hospitality?_ "

 

"Do you want to sleep in this room instead, on some dusty old mattress with a bare foot?" he asked rhetorically.

 

"No," she answered, as she took her shoe back and slipped it onto her foot. "I'd rather sleep in a warm bed, thank you very much." _Preferably back at home_ , she added to herself.

 

"Entonces sígueme," he said, beckoning for her to follow after him as he began to lead her out of the corridor.

 

She followed him, as he led her into a hallway. She looked around, observing the decorations and pictures hung up – old paintings that looked a little similar to Frida Kahlo's style.

 

Ernesto looked back at Victoria, but she turned away from him, looking at the painting to avoid facing him. He thought carefully on what to say to her – if he were to say anything that would upset her, his chances at breaking the spell would decrease.

 

“I – hope you enjoy your extended stay here,” he said slowly. “Since the mansion is your home now, you are free to wander around – just don’t go downstairs, into the hall with the pool.”

 

Victoria was intrigued, wondering why the room was forbidden. “Why can’t I go into the pool hall?”

 

“ _It’s_ _off limits!_ ” he hissed. If she knew about the room, she would find the marigolds – and he couldn’t let her find them and touch them, at risk of damaging them. He needed those flowers.

 

She didn’t flinch a bit at his reply, as she refused to let him have the upper hand. “I see,” she remarked.

 

Finally, they arrived at her room. When he opened the door, she stepped in and looked at her surroundings.

 

In the room, there was a large bed – that looked as though it was suited for royalty – with dark blue and white sheets, a mirror stand with blue curtains, and a little curvy lounge chair with a pillow near the window. Out the window, she could see the dark night sky, as the moon’s light shone.

 

“Now, if there is anything you need, my alebrijes will be there to guide you,” Ernesto told her. “Dinner will be in a few minutes.”

 

Victoria titled her head, raising an eyebrow. “Dinner?”

 

“You will be joining me for dinner,” he stated, though it sounded more like a demand.

 

“ _What?_ ” She was shocked. Was he really ordering her to dine with him, after all that he had done? “I can’t—you can’t just order me to—”

 

“—it’s not a request!” he snapped, then slammed the door shut.

 

She stood there in disbelief for a moment, before she ran to the door and pounded on it with her fists. “I’ll never dine with you!” she screamed. “Nunca – ni en un millón de años! _Hijo de una hiena!_ ”

 

Then, Victoria started breathing in and out, trying to calm herself. _It’s okay_ , she told herself, as she went over to the bed and lied down on it. _You’re going to make it through this._

 

No matter what Ernesto said, she wouldn’t be going to dinner – and that was that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the pool hall being the equivalent of the west wing is because of the murder revelation that took place in it in the film. and if you're wondering about whether crap will hit the fan there or not: yes. a whole lot.
> 
> also [here's a reference to how victoria's room looks like](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/62/63/b8/6263b8981af4cd2641e0d17fd9c6a9e2.jpg), since i'm not so great at descriptions (or words in general) haha
> 
> in the next chapter, we’ll get back to the riveras and a bit of bruno ( _sadly._ -sighs- i’m not proud of my ocs sometimes).


	7. 006. back with the familia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now we get a glimpse at the riveras again! sadly, bruno also appears.  
> but hey, at least this scene's out of the way, and julio isn't being man handled (unlike maurice during the "gaston" song number) again.

Dante ran as fast as his legs could carry him, to the back of the Rivera shoe shop. Behind the shoe shop was Imelda's jaguar alebrije, Pepita.

 

The xolo barked at the jaguar, explaining the situation with Julio. The jaguar then let out a loud roar, and took to the sky as Dante then led her to the large hole.

 

It wasn't too long before Pepita had gone into the hole and came out with the old man, who clung to her back like a toddler would with their blanket. The jaguar alebrije flew home, while Dante trailed behind her.

 

When they made it back to the shoe shop, the family immediately rushed out as they heard the sound of Pepita’s feet landing on the ground.

 

“Julio!” they cried out, as they spotted the man on the jaguar’s back.

 

“You’re back!” Imelda exclaimed, as she went to help her son-in-law get off the alebrije.

 

“Oh, gracias a Dios!” Héctor sighed in relief.

 

However, Óscar and Felipe both noticed that Victoria was nowhere to be seen.

 

“Where's Vico?” Felipe questioned, as he and his brother approached Julio.

 

“She went to look for you,” Óscar added. “Said you'd both be back.”

 

Julio pulled his hat off, as he looked down at the ground sadly. “Victoria is…” he trailed off for a moment, guilt washing over him. “…she’s been locked up in a mansion.”

 

The other Riveras gasped, their eyes widening in shock and horror. “She’s been _what?!_ ”

 

“When I was searching for the marigolds, I fell into the catacombs – into the Land of the Intermediate,” Julio began to explain. “I stumbled across a mansion, where some Chihuahua alebrijes tried leading me to some marigolds – but their owner stopped me, and locked me up for ‘trespassing.’ Victoria came hours later, and took my place as his prisoner in exchange for my freedom.”

 

The twins held onto Rosita as they all looked upset, while Héctor and Imelda clenched their teeth in anger.

 

“Did you catch that cabrón’s name, by any chance?” Imelda asked.

 

Julio nodded and answered, “Sí – I believe his name was _Ernesto de la Cruz._ ”

 

Héctor’s eyes widened in shock as he heard the name. “ _Ernesto?!_ ” He then clenched his fists. First, the man had tried to poison him – and now, he had kidnapped his granddaughter.

 

“Do you know this man, Papá Héctor?” Rosita questioned him.

 

Héctor nodded, his eyes narrowed. “A long time ago, he was once my best friend,” he answered. “But in 1921, he betrayed me by trying to poison me.”

 

Rosita and Julio had horrified looks on their faces, while Imelda and the twins looked down at the ground, reminiscing how upset Héctor had been when he came home the next morning – how he had nearly broke down while explaining the whole ordeal, before he went to tell Coco that her "Tío Ernie" wouldn't be visiting again. Of course, they hadn't told her – or anyone else in the family – the truth. They had sugarcoated it, and tried hiding it for many years – but now was the time that the truth had to be known, for Victoria was now stuck in the same mansion as De la Cruz.

 

"Come," Héctor said, beckoning for the others to follow him into the shoe shop. "We need to come up with a plan to get her back home. Who knows what Ernesto will do to her if we don't bring her back in time?"

 

The other Riveras nodded, and followed him into the shoe shop.

 

Little did they know, they were being spied on by Bruno and Andrés.

  
" _Que tonto viejo loco!_ " Bruno cackled. He thought it was hilarious, how Julio spoke of how he ended up in the Land of the Forgotten. It was just impossible. There was _no way_ the old man had actually been there, and that he met this 'De la Cruz' guy – especially when such a man didn't even exist, or was ever heard of. "He thinks he fell into the catacombs and met some _fake_ mariachi, when he was probably hallucinating the whole thing!"

 

"But Señor Héctor said—" Andrés tried to speak up, but was cut off by his uncle.

 

"—Señor Héctor is an old man," the fifty year-old interrupted. "It was only a matter of time before he lost his marbles as well, along with his son-in-law." Then, his mouth curved into a devious smirk. "Which gives me an idea…"

 

Andrés gulped. He didn't like where this was going. Not one bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> obviously the riveras will take months with their plan because of plot convenience, but trust me, they're trying their best.
> 
> and yes, bruno is an evil bastard. 
> 
> next up: the beginning of the wounding of de la cruz's pride! aka: the dinner refusal scene.


	8. 007. refusal to dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ernesto's pride is wounded, and Victoria ain't taking any prisoners.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in the 1991 film, the dinner refusal scene was one of the funniest to me so recreating it in this fic was a blast!  
> i hope i did it some justice. now, enjoy the wounding of ernesto’s pride!

After a few minutes, Victoria heard something scratch at the door. She raised an eyebrow and asked, “Who is it?”

 

“Coletta,” a voice on the other side of the door answered.

 

Victoria got off the bed and went over to the door, turning its knob and opening it. Much to her shock, the ‘woman’ on the other side of the door wasn’t a person, but rather a Chihuahua alebrije. “You can _talk!_ ” she gasped, startled.

 

“Of course she can, silly!” Alípio said, as he trailed after his sister into the room.

 

“But alebrijes can’t talk!” Victoria exclaimed, backing up a little. “How in the world—”

 

“—cálmate, señorita,” Coletta interrupted, trying to soothe the woman. “You must forgive our first impression. We didn’t mean to startle you.”

 

“We just wanted to check up on you, and tell you how brave you were back there!” Alípio added.

 

“Indeed,” Coletta agreed with her brother. “What you did for your father must’ve taken a lot of courage.”

 

Victoria looked between the two Chihuahuas. “But I’ve lost everything,” she said, a sad look on her face. “I’ve lost my father and my family. I’ll never get to see mi mamá or hermanita on Día de Muertos…”

 

Both Alípio and Coletta looked at her sympathetically.

 

“Cheer up, señorita,” Alípio tried comforting her. “It’ll get better soon!”

 

“You just have to wait a while,” Coletta said, then began to leave the room along with her brother. She gestured her nose towards the hall, beckoning for the woman to follow her. “Now, supper’s ready! Let’s get you fed!”

 

“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to dinner,” Victoria told the Chihuahua alebrije.

 

Alípio and Coletta both gasped. “But you _must!_ ” they both cried out in unison.

 

* * *

 

In the dining room, Ernesto paced back and forth. Dinner had already been served and set up on the table, and Victoria had yet to arrive. “What is taking her so long?” he asked impatiently. “I told her to come down...  _she should be here!_ ”

 

“Perhaps she’s taking some time to cope with her loss,” Urtzi suggested. “After all, she _was_ separated from her father not too long ago.”

 

“Maestro, do you think this lady could be the one to lift the curse?” Sixto asked, trying to change the subject.

 

“What do you take me for, an _idiota?_ ” Ernesto scoffed. “I _know_ she is!”

 

“Then when she comes in, you must charm her!” Sixto encouraged the man. “You’ve done it before several times anyhow.”

 

Ernesto perked up a bit at the alebrije’s words. “You’re right!” He grinned, as he began planning on wooing the woman. “At dinner, I shall charm her with my looks while serenading her with the finest music, and then I will shower her with many gifts!” He clasped his hands together as he pictured her swooning over him. “It won’t be too long before my moment is seized, and this curse is lifted.”

 

Urtzi’s beady eyes narrowed, unamused at the plan. “You _do_ realize that’s not how it works, right?”

 

“Shhh!” Sixto tried to hush his brother, placing his paws over his mouth. “Two of the marigolds have already wilted, and the last one’s just begun to wilt!”

 

Ernesto’s body shimmered, causing him to groan and clutch his sides in pain. “I need her,” he whispered, as he thought of Victoria. Her amber eyes, her raven hair – how beautiful she was. He then stood up straight. He had to get her to fall in love with him, before it was too late.

 

The door creaked open, and everyone in the room turned to see Alípio and Coletta at the doorway, shaking as though they had found fleas in their fur.

 

“ _Donde está ella?_ ” Ernesto asked as he walked towards them, getting more impatient.

 

“About the girl…” Coletta trailed off, as she tried to find a way to sugarcoat it. “She’s, err… well…”

 

“She’s not coming!” Alípio blurted out.

 

Ernesto’s eyes widened in rage. How dare she not come to dinner? He stormed out of the dining room, and headed up the stairs to Victoria’s room.

 

“Slow down, Maestro!” Urtzi cried out in fear, as he and the others rushed after their master.

 

Ernesto banged on the bedroom door. “I told you to come down for dinner!” he yelled.

 

“You dragged my father away from me and taken me as your prisoner, and yet you want me to _dine_ with you?” Victoria asked from the other side of the door, getting a little pissed. He was just unbelievable. “Have you gone _loco?_ ”

  
Ernesto gritted his teeth angrily. He was only a few steps away from breaking down the door. “I am the one who owns this place! You will either join me for dinner now, or I’ll _drag_ you out of that room myself!”

 

“Go ahead, I’d like to see you try!” she shot back, unaffected by his threat. He was about as threatening as the bullies back in elementary school, which was to say  _not at all._

 

Ernesto clenched his fists tightly, breathing in and out heavily.

 

“Try being more suave and gentle,” Sixto suggested. “The ladies love that.”

 

Ernesto looked at the alebrije for a moment, then at the door. He inhaled and exhaled, trying to compose himself. _He’s right_ , he told himself. _You are Ernesto de la Cruz, the greatest musician of all time! No woman can resist you._ “If you join me for dinner, I will give you the finest jewels and fancy dresses,” he said, as an attempt to bribe her.

 

Victoria was amazed at how persistent he was. It was honestly laughable, how he expected her to be easily swayed by riches, when really, she couldn’t give less of a damn. Her mind was already made up. “You can try bribing me all you want, but my answer is still _no._ ”

 

His eye twitched a little at her response. Then, he chuckled as he realized that she couldn’t just stay in her room forever. “You’re not actually going to stay in there all night… _are you?_ ”

 

“If it means that I don’t have to dine with a _hijo de una hiena_ like you, then _yes_ ,” she answered obstinately. “I will stay in this room as long as I need to.”

 

“ _What did you just call me?_ ” he hissed, causing his alebrijes to back up a bit, as they knew that he was at his absolute _worst_ when he was angry.

 

“Forgive me, I misspoke,” she said sarcastically. “What I meant to call you was a _culo de caballos._ ”

 

“Fine, go ahead and _starve!_ ” he snapped. He had never felt so frustrated, so _humiliated_  in his entire existence. He turned to his alebrijes. “If she will not dine with me—” he gestured to the door as he spoke, before crossing his arms “—then she won’t eat _at all!_ ” Then, he stormed off, his pride wounded.

 

“ _Sheesh,_ ” Urtzi muttered, as he and his siblings looked at the direction their master went in, “talk about stubbornness.”

 

* * *

 

As Ernesto entered the pool hall, he began to pace back and forth, ranting.

 

“I ask her nicely and try giving her gifts, yet she _still_ refuses and _insults_ me!” he muttered, agitated. “What does she want me to do? Get on my knees and _beg?_ ”

 

He looked at a small table, which had a vase of marigolds on it. Two of them had already wilted, while the other’s petals had mostly fallen one by one.

 

Ernesto’s expression softened as he moved towards the table, staring at the remaining marigold. He let out a sigh, feeling shame wash over him. What was the use, anyway? She only saw him as the man that imprisoned her father and took away her freedom – a _monster._

Another petal dropped from the flower, shriveling up as soon as it fell onto the table’s surface, soon followed by another shimmer in the mariachi’s body as he hissed in pain, placing his hands on the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next up: the "be our guest" song number. i may or may not sneak in my own interpretation of the scene where belle is scared off after that, but it all depends on how everything goes tomorrow.
> 
> as for the shimmering: it happens at random mostly because i like to make it parallel with coco, hehe. as for the insult bit, it's a direct reference to a comment hexly made back on chapter 6; it was just too funny to pass up.
> 
> on a random note (yes, i realize i say this a lot, sorry): i’m thinking about doing a post-canon fic with victoria and ernesto, like a redemption arc one – but the premise is them being saddled with a recently deceased child, and it’ll probably be called _“ángel de lápida”_. i’m very tempted to write it, _buuut_ it might be rated “explicit” due to the topics – and no, it’s not that type of adult topics (i’m horrible at smut lol), it’s just very heavy and sad. i just wanna know if you guys would be willing to read it or not, if i ever write it.
> 
> anyway, hope you enjoyed – and buckle up, cause this is gonna be a real slow burn. :D


	9. 008. be our guest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “be our guest” is one of my favorite songs in the film, so i just couldn’t pass up the opportunity of adding it into the fic! though, of course, the wording is a little different – it’s the english translation of the mexican-spanish dubbed version; with minor accommodations (and some lyrics from the original are kept, since the spanish translation changed a lot and sometimes it doesn't fit into this fic's context), obviously. it's not my best work – especially since i got exhausted and _slightly_ lazy near the end – but i honestly put a bit too much time into it so my stubborn side is proud of it regardless. :P  
>  anyway, enjoy i guess! the next chapter's gonna be better though, i promise.

Sixto, Urtzi, Coletta and Alípio gathered around near the fireplace in the dining room. Their bodies shimmered brightly, causing them all to whimper in pain.

 

“Another petal fell,” Coletta remarked, shuddering.

 

“Maestro’s shimmering is getting worse and worse,” Alípio sighed.

 

“Won’t be long now until he’s truly forgotten,” Urtzi said bitterly. “Soon, we’ll be in the Land of the Forgotten, rotting there for all eternity…”

 

“Calm down,” Sixto tried to soothe his siblings. “There’s still some time left. We’ll all be having our days in the sun again, soon.”

 

“You think so?” Alípio asked, turning to his older littermate.

 

“I know so.”

 

* * *

 

If there was one thing that Ernesto was right about, it was that Victoria couldn't stay in her room all night. That, she admitted, was true. Growing up, her parents and grandparents stressed that she eat _every_ meal each day, as skipping a meal would only backfire and lead to starvation. Even though she was dead now, she couldn't bring herself to ignore one of the rules she grew up with.

 

So she quietly opened the door to her room and stepped out, trying to be as quiet as possible while she went down the halls. She had heard what Ernesto said, and knew very well that if she were caught, then she wouldn't be having any dinner that night.

 

She went downstairs, towards what appeared to be the dining room. She entered the room, causing the alebrijes to turn to her.

  
"She's here!" Alípio yipped happily.

 

"I know he said 'if she doesn't eat with me, she doesn't eat at all'," Victoria began, feeling a little embarrassed to be talking to a bunch of Chihuahuas, "but… I was wondering if there was at least a bit of dinner left."

 

"A second ago, she was refusing dinner, now she's hungry," Urtzi grumbled, before Coletta pushed him with her paw.

 

"A _bit left?_ " Sixto laughed. "Why, we have the whole banquet!" Then, he led her to the dining table. "Right this way, Señorita!"

 

“Gracias, err…” Victoria trailed off for a moment as she looked down at the Chihuahua.

 

“Sixto,” he answered, then gestured to his littermate. “And that’s Urtzi. You’ve already met Coletta and Alípio, sí?”

 

“Sí, I have.” She nodded as she sat at the end of the long dining table.

 

“But you know what Maestro said––” Urtzi tried to object to his siblings feeding the guest, but he was interrupted.

 

“—eso es una tontería!” Coletta interrupted him. “We can’t just let her go hungry!”

 

Urtzi frowned. “Fine, but keep it quiet,” he reluctantly relented. “If Maestro finds out that we violated his order, we’re _kibble._ ”

 

“Sí, sí,” Sixto agreed. “But it has been so many years since we’ve performed. It's only logical that there is some music to go along with dinner.”

 

“ _MUSIC?!_ ” Urtzi exclaimed in horror, as his other siblings ran past him.

 

* * *

 

"Señorita," Sixto began as he got on top of the other end of the long table. "It gives us great pleasure to be serving and entertaining you tonight. All that we ask is that you relax as we present to you… your dinner."

 

Victoria eased back into her chair a little. She had to admit that this place  _was_  ratherluxurious, even if its owner was crude.

 

Much to her shock, the Chihuahua alebrije began to sing.

 

> _"Be our guest,_
> 
> _be our guest._
> 
> _Come and try the service._
> 
> _Tie a napkin around your neck, Señorita, and we'll provide the rest."_

Victoria grabbed a napkin from nearby, placing it on her lap as she waited for her meal to arrive.

 

And it did – plates of chicken fajitas, shrimp enchiladas, corn salad, empanadas, a bowl of soup and other goods were passed down to her. She tasted each one, savoring each flavor.

 

> _"Chicken fajitas, hot enchiladas – oh, we live to serve!_
> 
> _Try the tamales – they're wonderful."_

She took a bite out of one of the tamales, its taste reminding her of how much her younger sister loved to bake the treat.

 

> _“Don’t believe me? Ask my siblings!”_

A light flashed, as a screen on the dining room’s wall turned on. Victoria watched as four black Chihuahuas with white undercoats began performing tricks, most of which were like the typical circus act, while others were unique such as them howling along to the sound of a mariachi’s trumpet playing.

 

> _“We can sing,_
> 
> _we can dance!_
> 
> _After all, this is Mexico!_
> 
> _But food comes first, as you’ve seen.”_

Sixto carried a menu in his mouth as he ran over to her, placing it down in front of her. She picked it up and began to read it.

 

> _“Look at your menu,_
> 
> _and choose your buffet._
> 
> _Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest!”_

The kitchen doors swung open as more dishes were passed down. This time, it was the desserts.

 

> _“Rice pudding, pan dulce – marzipan and nicuatole!_
> 
> _Prepared and served with a touch of gourmet!_
> 
> _Forget your restlessness._
> 
> _The banquet is about to begin._
> 
> _There’s no sadness or protest_
> 
> _when there’s a feast going on here!”_

Sixto and Alípio began to perform tricks, flipping around as they tried entertaining their guest. Thankfully, it seemed to be working, as Victoria was smiling widely.

 

> _“There will be one of a kind tricks_ _and a thousand jokes to tell!_
> 
> _Everything is at its peak, I can assure it!_
> 
> _And we’ll make a toast,_
> 
> _it won’t cost you a thing._
> 
> _And ask us, if you're tensed._
> 
> _Eating well is the solution;_
> 
> _be our guest, be our guest, be our guest!”_

Alípio stepped back as a spotlight focused on both Sixto and Urtzi as the former began to indulge in a melodramatic histrionic.

 

> _“No one resigns_
> 
> _to this life so unworthy,_
> 
> _of the spirit who has no one to guide._
> 
> _Oh, our good old triumphal days…”_

"Eh, Urtzi?" Sixto nudged his brother a little, while the other Chihuahua rolled his beady eyes as sugar began to fall down upon them, much like snow.

 

 

> _“They’re long gone, and there’s nothing to live for._
> 
> _For seventy-five years, we’ve been wasting away,_
> 
> _rotting as we’re forgotten,_
> 
> _powerless to do our work!”_

As she was about to take another piece of food, Victoria stopped as she heard the alebrije utter "seventy-five years." So, they had been in the Land of the Intermediate for a _century?_ It astounded her.

 

> _“Like shadows, we roamed the castle…_
> 
> _We used to be so lonely,_
> 
> _until you brought the joy back!”_

Sixto then moved aside as Coletta hopped onto the table.

 

> _“It’s a guest, it’s a guest!_
> 
> _We’re truly blessed!_
> 
> _There’s good wine on the table,_
> 
> _placed with great distinction._
> 
> _With dessert, there’ll be tea,_
> 
> _which I’ll gladly serve._
> 
> _While the teacups are marching,_
> 
> _the tea is bubbling, it is brewing…”_

A tea trolley soon arrived with desserts, teacups and napkins. Out of the corner of her eye, Coletta noticed a smudge on one of the cups. "Ay dios mio! Is that a spot?"

 

She hopped onto the trolley, grabbing a napkin in her teeth, quickly wiping off the spot before getting back to the table. If the company was to be impressed, then there needed to be a little cleanup, after all.

 

> _“We’ve got a lot to do._
> 
> _Is it one lump or two?_
> 
> _For you, our guest!”_

“She’s our guest!” the others – even Urtzi, who had begun to cheer up a bit – chorused, as the teacup was passed down to Victoria, who put a lump on sugar in it.

 

Then, all of the Chihuahua alebrijes began to stand on their hind legs as they performed various tricks for their guest – mostly somersaults and dancing as they sung.

 

 

> _“Be our guest, be our guest!_
> 
> _Ask us and we’ll attend to you._
> 
> _It’s been years since anyone has come here,_
> 
> _and no one else will come_
> 
> _Comforting you is our purpose._
> 
> _And as long as the candles are lit,_
> 
> _we’ll continue cooking…_
> 
> _Plate by plate, we will come_
> 
> _until we can’t anymore._
> 
> _We’ll sing so that you may rest!_
> 
> _Enjoy the great feast,_
> 
> _from beginning to end,_
> 
> _and be our guest, be our guest!_
> 
> _Be our guest!_
> 
> _Please, be our guest!”_

 

Once the song was over, the alebrijes stopped performing and cleared the table.

 

Victoria stood up from her seat, clapping. She was amazed by the show as she’d never been this entertained in her entire life, not even the mariachi plaza near her home in Santa Cecilia was this lively. “Bravo! _Qué increíble actuación!_ ”

 

“Gracias, Señorita,” Urtzi thanked her. He looked at the clock, then back at her. “Oh, would you look at the time! Now, it’s off to bed with you.”

 

But Victoria wouldn’t budge, as she was not tired, but rather curious. There were so many mysterious things about the mansion. She wanted to learn more, explore and see more of it. There had to be more, than what de la Cruz had ‘showed’ her, she just knew it. “I can’t go to bed now,” she protested softly, shaking her head. “I want to see more of this enchanted mansion.”

 

“ _Enchanted?_ Who said there was any magic involved?” Urtzi laughed nervously, before his eyes fell upon Coletta. He glared at his sister, growling, “It was _you_ , wasn’t it?”

 

“The fact that you all are talking alebrijes was the first hint, actually,” Victoria spoke up, causing the Chihuahuas to turn to her. “Perhaps, one of you would like to give me a tour?” she questioned, smiling slyly. “Since you’ve all been here for _many years_ , you surely must know _everything_ there is to know about this place.”

 

“Well... yes,” Urtzi answered slowly, looking as his siblings, then back at the woman. “We do, actually.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> expect shit to hit the fan in the next chapter, especially since vico is gonna have a VERY rude awakening – aka ernesto’s going to fuck up big time™ if you know what i mean. ;))
> 
> also, i'm thinking about making a tumblr to post this fic – and just ramble about this crack ship in general – on, because this ship is taking over my life. not that i'm complaining tho. B)


	10. 009. mistakes & hurtful revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ernesto fucks up badly, and shit hits the fan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’d like to thank k-chips and hexly for their comments. it gave me a lot of ideas for this chapter, especially the whole "wolf chase" scene. gracias, amigos. <3
> 
> on a side note: i’m on tumblr now, under the username _radianteserenidad!_ granted, it’s empty, but it’s a start nonetheless – so if anyone wants to talk about stuff, or maybe even some fanart (if you have any, then please do because it makes me so happy to see art based off my fics like?? you have no idea), then feel free to! i always love talking to and hearing from you guys.  <3

The Chihuahua alebrijes led Victoria through the hallways, passing by dozens of paintings and statues, most of which were (presumably) of De la Cruz.

 

“And this painting was commissioned back in the January of 1922, after he made his debut at a mariachi plaza in Santa Cecilia,” Alípio said, gesturing to a portrait of a living Ernesto in plain clothing. “I don’t remember who the artist was, aside from him being a very nice man…”

 

Victoria studied painting carefully. “So, he died in 1942, correct?” she asked. She couldn’t help but find it weird how the mariachi seemed to come from the same generation _and_ same hometown as her grandparents, and yet she had never heard of him until now. What made it even stranger was the fact that he made his debut only _one month_ after her grandfather had come home from his little trip.

 

“Indeed,” Coletta confirmed.

 

 _Something is wrong here_ , Victoria thought to herself, as the tour continued. _Nothing here is making any sense…_

 

However, she stopped walking as she spotted a staircase leading up. It had less lights and a more mysterious atmosphere to it. _Could this be the pool hall?_ she wondered, as she began to ascend the staircase.

 

The alebrijes turned back and saw what the woman was doing. They rushed in front of her, blocking her path before she could take a step further.

 

“Is that the pool hall?” she questioned curiously.

 

“Yes, but there’s nothing interesting there,” Urtzi answered quickly, sounding very anxious. “It’s very old. You wouldn’t like it.”

 

“There’s so many more interesting places here,” Sixto added, trying to change the subject. “Like the indoor gardens or the library!”

 

“You have a library?” Victoria asked, a little interested now. “With what types of books?”

 

“All genres!” Alípio yipped.

 

“Adventure novels, tragedies, fairy tales – swamps of every type of book you could ever imagine!” Coletta piped up.

 

As the Chihuahua alebrijes began talking about the library, they didn’t realize that they had left the woman behind as they continued on their tour.

 

And so, she let her curiosity get the better of her as she continued up the staircase, into the dark hall. The further she walked, the more her interest piqued.

 

Inside the pool hall, most of the lights were turned down. The only light coming from inside the hall was from outside the windows, which reflected on the pool.

 

She looked around and saw several screens on the walls that were currently shut off, looking as though they hadn’t been turned on in a long time. _Must have some clips of him before he died_ , she assumed.

 

A golden flicker of light soon caught her attention. She kept looking around, until she saw where the light was coming from – on top of a small table rested a jar of pure golden marigolds, which shone brightly in the darkness.

 

Mesmerized, Victoria approached the marigolds. Two of the flowers had wilted, while the third’s petals seemed to have started falling. Still, it was in full bloom and a magnificent sight.

 

 _Why would he hide this?_ she wondered as she slowly reached out to touch it.

 

“ _I told you not to come here!_ ” a familiar voice yelled. She spun around and saw Ernesto standing at the entrance, looking very peeved. He rushed forward and checked to see if there had been any damage done to the remaining marigold, before he turned to the woman, glaring at her. “What did you do to it?”

 

“Nothing,” Victoria responded quickly, taking a step back. Before, she had been so curious to explore the forbidden hall, but now she was beginning to regret her decision. _I should’ve gone to the library instead…_ “I was just taking a look at it.”

 

“I thought I made it clear that you were to _stay out of the pool hall_ ,” he hissed, taking a few steps towards her.

 

“I meant no harm!” she defended herself, trying to stand her ground. “I was just curious, since these types of marigolds are so rare.” She placed her hands on her hips. “And besides, why are you fussing so much over them?”

 

“You have _no_ idea how important these marigolds are to me!” he shouted at her, raising his voice. “I’ve tried so _hard_ to keep these flowers in tact, too hard to let you destroy them!”

 

“Well, if you didn’t want anyone touching your _preciosa flores_ , then you should’ve put them in your room!” she shot back. It baffled her, how defensive he was over mere flowers.

 

He let out a grunt of frustration and without thinking, he shouted, “ _You’re just as stubborn as Héctor was!_ ”

 

Victoria stopped for a moment, confused at his words. “How – _how_ do you know my abuelito's name?” she asked. “And what do you mean I’m ‘just as stubborn as he was’?”

 

If Ernesto still had skin, he would’ve immediately blanched as soon as he heard her refer to his former friend as her abuelito. “I… I…” he stammered, regretting his words. _Why did you have so be so thoughtless?_ he scolded himself. _Should’ve known the shoe throwing came from Imelda…_

 

“Well?” She tapped her foot as she waited for his explanation.

 

"Your abuelo, Héctor, and I grew up together," Ernesto began explaining. "I was older than him by four years, but we were still very close. When we were little, we used to play and run throughout the streets…" He smiled a little as he reminisced the old days, then frowned as he remembered where it all began to go downhill. "But when we became adults, he met your grandmother, Imelda, and fell in love with her. She was so ill-tempered, so _volatile_ that I thought their relationship wouldn't last, but… it did, somehow." He gestured his hand to the side. "They got married and had Coco, and all of a sudden it was like I no longer existed. He began dedicating more time to them – he even wrote songs for them! As for me? I was left in the dust…"

 

"So, you were jealous of mi mamá and abuelita because my abuelito was devoted to them?" Victoria asked, an uneasy feeling rising within her. She didn't like where this story was heading.

 

"Sí, very jealous," he answered, nodding. "So one night, I suggested that we tour the country together. He accepted, and for a couple of months we toured the country and sung to large audiences. Everything seemed perfect, until that one night in December…"

 

Shivers went down Victoria's spine. In all of her grandfather's stories, he never mentioned that he had gone on tour with a friend – in fact, he never said anything about having a friend at all. She knew something bad must've happened in the December of 1921, to make her grandfather write the mariachi out of the story – out of his life completely. "What happened in December…?"

 

"He said he was homesick, that he made up his mind and was going home," Ernesto continued, a grim look on his face. "I was so angry. We had come so far, and there he was, about to ruin everything. I needed his songs, so I acted on impulse and I…" he trailed off for a bit as the guilt began to eat at him. He shouldn't have been so hasty. If he didn't, then he wouldn't be here in this position. "…I poisoned his drink."

 

Victoria's ghostly heart dropped as soon as she heard the last four words. So that was the reason why her grandfather never mentioned having a friend, because the so-called 'friend' almost _murdered_ him. "You… you tried to _poison_ my abuelito?"

 

"Victoria, please—"

 

"—you tried to murder your own friend, just because he was devoted to his family?!" she shouted at him, raising her voice as tears began forming at the corners of her eyes. "Did you ever stop to think that you could have _damned_ him and his _entire family_ if he had died from poisoning?"

 

He paused for a moment, deliberating over her words. He hadn't considered the grave repercussions of his actions when he sprinkled the powder in the tequila, not once did he ever consider what could've happened, had his plan succeeded. "It – was a long time ago," he replied. "I was so rash about it, that I never even thought that—"

 

"—of _course_ you didn't think!" she interrupted him, her brow furrowing as she glared at him. "Why would a _two-faced_ _rata_ like you give a _shit_ about anyone else's well-being but your own?" She then turned away from him and began to run away.

 

" _Victoria!_ " he called after her.

 

She refused to turn back, though. She continued running down the stairs, past the Chihuahua alebrijes.

 

"Señorita, where are you going?" Sixto asked, confused as to why she was running away.

 

"Deal or no deal, I refuse to stay with the man who tried to murder my abuelito!" Victoria yelled.

 

" _QUÉ?!_ " the alebrijes cried out in shock, while she opened the doors and slammed them shut behind her.

 

As Victoria ran, tears began spilling down her cheeks. She tried wiping them away with her arm, as her vision blurred a little. She had to find a way to get out of here, back to the Land of the Remembered, back to her family.

 

Suddenly, she heard a growl. She stopped and turned, only to see three wolf alebrijes baring their teeth at her. As one of them was about to pounce on her, she took off once more.

 

She looked around, trying to find a place where she could lose the feral alebrijes. Then, she spotted an alleyway. She ran towards the narrow passageway, backing into the corner as the wolves were gaining up on her.

 

But before she could pull off one of her huaraches, one of the wolves was yanked back by the scruff of its neck as she heard Ernesto shout, " _Don't you dare touch her!_ "

 

Victoria watched in shock as he threw the wolf behind, so far across that it fell to the ground, paralyzed. After his revelation, she had thought of him as a heartless man who didn't care for anyone but himself, yet here he was fending off the wolves for her.

 

The other two wolves lunged at him, the second biting down hard on his left leg, causing the bones to crack a little, making him hiss in pain. He wouldn't go down yet though and so he shook his leg, throwing the wolf off, causing it to hit the wall. 

 

However, the third wolf had already begun to sneak up on him just as Ernesto had his back turned. It pounced on his back, tackling him to the ground, but as it was ready to dig its teeth into him, Victoria took off her shoe and threw it at the rogue alebrije.

 

The wolf turned its gaze towards the woman, growling as it got off the mariachi and began prowling towards her. Mustering up all the strength she had along with the strength she inherited from her ancestors, she took off her other huarache and struck the wolf across its jaw with the shoe.

 

Ernesto watched as the wolf fell back, whimpering loudly. His ghostly heart beat quickly as he looked back at Victoria, awed by her strength. _What a woman_ , he thought.

 

Victoria picked her shoes up, holding them up threateningly as the wolves got back up. The rogue alebrijes all yelped and retreated in panic.

 

She slipped her shoes back on as soon as the rogue alebrijes were gone, and looked back at Ernesto. Just as the mariachi got up, his body shimmered and he fell back down, hissing in pain while clutching his left leg.

 

Her eyes widened. She had heard of what happened to those who were forgotten, and to see the side effects of the Final Death happening right in front of her was not a pretty sight in the slightest. She looked at his leg, and saw the cracks through the tears of his pants.

 

She deliberated over whether she should help him or not. On one hand, he tried to poison her grandfather, but on the other… he did try saving her. And no one deserved to suffer like that, no matter what their past sins were. She wasn't going to stoop as low as he almost did back then, by leaving him to endure such pain.

 

Victoria walked over to Ernesto and slowly helped the mariachi get back up onto his feet, much to his surprise. She draped one of his arms over her shoulder, as he leaned against her.

 

"Gracias," he murmured, grateful that she was helping him, despite all that had been said and done.

 

"No lo menciones," she replied in a voice that wasn't exactly angry, but not entirely pleased either; a neutral tone.

 

With that, they began to head back to the mansion, with Ernesto limping heavily on his left leg while Victoria held onto him, supporting his weight.

 

One thing was on both of their minds: they'd have to do a lot of talking once they got back to the manor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so with regards to victoria finding out what happened that fateful night in 1921: it was inevitable that she would learn of ernesto’s murder attempt on her grandpa _somehow._ i figured now was the best time because not only does it make a good twist, but also because if she were to find out much later on, it would kinda just ruin things. that’s not to say things aren’t fucked up right now, because they are _very_ fucked up – it’s just that they can at least work past this now that he's learned from his mistakes, and their relationship will only be slightly awkward as opposed to them finding out much later and it just being a very “wtf” situation. i will say though that this does parallel coco a bit overall with the heartbreaking revelations, and the final death – because let's face it, sometimes you can't sugarcoat it – thing.
> 
> also, i made victoria save ernesto in the end because she’s imelda’s granddaughter and therefore i have no doubts she can – as quoted by hexly – summon the strength of her ancestors and use it to defeat the threat. even if i'm not particularly great at writing out long battles like that (hence why it's kinda short and quick/straight to the point), i'm still very proud of it. >:3c  
> either way, ernesto’s got a new type now, thanks to that rivera strength™


	11. 010. a little talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, here’s the discussion you guys have been waiting for. i hope i did it some justice, since i did kind of build it up at the end of the previous chapter…
> 
> oh, and i threw in a few verses from “days in the sun” – or as they call it in latin america: “días de sol” – because it’s one of my favorites from the 2017 soundtrack. of course, there’s my own twists as well, but this time it's not with the lyrics. ;)

Ernesto sat up in his bed as his bare left leg stuck out from underneath the covers. On his nightstand was a bucket filled with hot water, a rag and a bandage roll.

 

Victoria sat on a stool near the edge of the bed. "Hold still," she instructed as she grabbed the rag, dipping it into the hot water. She then touched the rag to his injury.

 

He hissed in pain as the hot rag made contact with his wound, pulling his leg away. "Why does it hurt so much?"

 

"Because you're moving too much." She grabbed his leg, pulling it closer as she reapplied the rag to the wound. "Now _hold still._ It'll sting less if you do."

 

He winced and gritted his teeth as the rag was pressed up against wound again, but he complied with her instructions and kept still.

 

Victoria rubbed the rag against the man’s injury, then pulled it away as she grabbed the bandage roll. As she began to wrap the cloth around the wound, she remembered how he had stepped in to save her. It confused her. How was it that he was so willing to rescue her, when not too long ago, he confessed to having almost murdered her grandfather? “Why did you try to save my life back there?”

 

“It can get very dangerous around these parts during the night. I couldn’t let you get hurt,” Ernesto answered. “I may not be a saint, but I’m not heartless.”

 

“When did you start caring about other people’s well-beings?” she scoffed at his answer, still feeling bitter about what she had learned. “You certainly didn’t care about your friend’s when you tried to poison him.”

 

“I know what I did was awful, and I ruined everything,” he said, frowning as he looked down at the sheets. He wished that he didn't have his injury, that he could just get up and run to avoid speaking to her. “Trust me, I’ve already paid the price for my actions…”

 

“What do you mean by that?” she questioned him, a little confused by his words.

 

"Well, you see," he began, "before your abuelo could drink his glass, this man came in. Somehow, he could tell that the glass was poisoned, so he told Héctor to pour some of its contents into the corner of the room for the rats. Of course, your abuelo listened, and the rat that had ingested the most died." The forty-six year-old paused for a moment as a wave of guilt washed over him. "He was, understandably, very upset. He yelled at me, and then left. The old man stayed behind though. He warned me that I'd be much better off if I changed my ways, or else…" he let out a sigh, shaking his head. "But I didn't listen. I never approached Héctor to apologize, because I was a  _coward_ who feared the repercussions for my actions."

 

"So the old man came back," Victoria guessed.

 

Ernesto nodded. "Sí, he did, but not as an old man." Seeing the look of confusion on her face, he explained further, "Years passed. I wrote my own songs and became a famous mariachi for a while, until my last performance in the September of 1942." A grim look made its way across his face as he remembered the ‘stagehand's’ odd smirk and the pain he felt when the bell had crushed him. "Before I went onto stage, the stagehand had acted a little strange. After he touched my shoulder, he flashed this odd smirk at me before leaving. I shrugged it off and thought that I was looking too deep into it, but once my performance was over, I was crushed by a bell."

 

Victoria's eyes widened as she realized where this was heading. She had heard myths of the death god Xibalba, especially his tendencies to shapeshift, and his deadly touch. "The old man and stagehand... they were disguises… Xibalba's disguises."

 

"En efecto," Ernesto said, his voice soft and filled with guilt. "When I woke up in the Land of the Dead, he told me how my death was the result of my own actions, and it's true. I had been so obsessed with fame, that I led myself to my own demise." He thought for a moment, contemplating whether he should explain his curse or not. He then shook his head. _No, she can’t know_ , he told himself. The love had to be genuine - and with all that had happened, he felt that letting her know of the curse would be no different from just forcing himself upon her. "I'm now facing the consequences of my actions. Slowly but surely, I'm being forgotten. I doubt I'll make it past this year's Día de Muertos."

 

Victoria was silent as she soaked in his words. From the tone of his voice and the way he spoke, she could tell that he was guilt-ridden as a result of his past and while that didn’t excuse the fact that he still tried to poison her grandfather, she couldn’t help but pity him. She understood how it felt to be die so suddenly, so _young,_ except she had died surrounded by those she loved, while he hadn’t.

 

“I understand if you’re angry at me,” he continued. “And you don’t have to forgive me. Just know that justice was served a long time ago.”

 

“I…” she trailed off for a moment, as she thought about it. The past was the past and nothing could be changed now, but… even if she still felt bitter about the murder attempt, she couldn’t bring herself to completely resent him, not when she was now aware that he only had a few months left. “I don’t know if I can _fully_ forgive you, but I will try.”

 

He looked at her, surprised to hear those words. “You really mean that?”

 

“Sí,” she answered. She paused for a few minutes, then added, “I know how it feels to die young, too. Not long after my forty-third birthday in 1982, I developed a lung disease and…” She winced as she remembered her last moments in the hospital, surrounded by her parents and younger sister - how they had cried as she coughed violently, before it all went black. “…well, I’m sure you can figure out the rest.”

 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he apologized, upon hearing her tale.

 

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault,” she said. “The point is: we’re not completely different, and…” She paused once more, thinking over the words to say. “And I suppose I should thank you for saving my life.” A small smile made its way across her face. “Gracias, Señor de la Cruz.”

 

“Ernesto is fine,” he told her. He, too, began to smile. “Y eres bienvenido.”

 

As Victoria finished wrapping the bandage cloth around his wound, she stood up and told him, “Try to get some rest.”

 

Ernesto watched as she left the room, quietly shutting the door behind her. He laid back in his bed, resting his head on the pillow as he sighed once more. What cruel irony it was, that he had fallen in love with his former friend’s granddaughter.

 

He closed his eyes and started humming to himself as he thought of the good old days, before it had all went to hell. 

 

> _“Oh, those days in the sun._
> 
> _What I’d give to relive just one._
> 
> _Undo what’s done, and bring back the light…”_

 

* * *

 

As soon as Victoria entered her room, she immediately went over to her bed and laid down on it, pulling the covers over her as she let out a sigh of exhaustion. What a long night it had been. First, she had a wonderful dinner, and now she had learned of de la Cruz’s actions and his past.

 

 _I should’ve never taken my simple life for granted_ , she thought, as she stared up at the ceiling.

 

Her eyes began to slip shut as she thought of her own past – a memory of her mother singing a lullaby to her when she was a child soon flashing in her mind. As she reminisced her childhood, she began to sing softly.

 

> _“Days in the sun, when my life has barely begun._
> 
> _Not until my whole life is done, will I ever leave you…”_

 

She shivered in her sleep as a tear fell down her cheek, before she pulled the covers over her body. 

 

One thing was certain: not only was she wiser now, but unsure as ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooo… expect this to be a slow burn of sorts. i’ll probably make a few stand-alone chapters of them /somewhat/ bonding before the whole “something there” song number, since i don’t want to jump into it just yet. aside from a few ideas i got based on y’all’s comments, i am still very much open up to more suggestions – after all, the more ideas the merrier, right? :D  
> also, i didn't clarify this before: but since batb took place near fall and a months of winter, it's pretty much safe to assume this story takes place in june (or july. idk, i haven't decided); not too far from día de muertos.
> 
> as for the song bit with victoria: imagine ana de la reguera (her spanish VA) singing it. here's her singing ["te busco"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NBHFsUBtEg), just so you can get a glimpse at her sweet voice! as for ernesto, just picture either benjamin bratt or antonio sol (his spanish singing VA for the english release) singing the verses.  
> i added the verses from "days in the sun" in mostly because i thought it'd fit a bit with the theme – though i didn’t add all of the lyrics because i felt like it wouldn’t work if i made it a full-out song number.
> 
> as for the riveras: in the next chapter, we’ll be getting another glimpse at the dead riveras _and_ the living riveras! there’ll also be bruno (sadly), and a bit of a bonus/reference to tbol too. so, stay tuned for that bit. ;)
> 
> anyway, toodles!


	12. 011. evil plots, family and a bonus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bruno starts plotting an evil scheme, while the dead Riveras and Pepita begin their search – and we get a glimpse at the living Riveras, along with a small bonus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #sicpepitaonbruno was such a mood while writing this chapter, and still is honestly. on the bright side, i finally got to throw in some of the living rivera family!

The Marigold Grand Central Station and all of its departments were usually closed during the night – save for when Día de Muertos arrived – but tonight, however, was different. One department – the Department of Correction – wasn’t completely closed for the night, as the light in a cubicle lit up.

 

Three people occupied the cubicle – a corrections officer, Bruno and Andrés.

 

“I should just close up this place and head back home,” the officer said, looking at a clipboard, “but your nephew here said it was urgent, and that you’d make it worth my while.”

 

Bruno flashed the officer a grin as he placed a bag of golden coins on the desk.

 

The officer picked up the bag of coins. He opened it and took out a coin, studying it for a bit before he bit on it. Once he felt how hard it was – signifying that it was real – he placed it on the table alongside the bag, pushing them to the side as he grabbed his clipboard. “Alright,” he said, his eyes focusing on his clipboard as he held his pen near the blank sheet of paper. “What is the issue here, Señor Acosta?”

 

“You see, officer, Victoria Rivera is the only woman I’ve ever loved,” Bruno began, “and I fear for her and her family – especially her father and grandfather, who have become very delusional.”

 

The officer looked up from his clipboard for a moment. He had known the Rivera family ever since they started up their shoe business in the Land of the Dead, and they were the sweetest people he’d met in a long time – so to hear Señor Acosta speak of the family’s patriarch and his son-in-law made him a little suspicious. “Héctor and Julio Rivera are harmless.”

 

“I beg to differ,” Bruno argued. “Earlier today, I heard them raving about some mariachi by the name of ‘Ernesto de la Cruz’ and his mansion – when such a man never even existed in the first place. They even got most of the family to believe such delusions.” He put his arm around Andrés, pulling him close. “Isn’t that correct, my dear nephew?”

 

“It’s – a very complicated situation on a number of accounts,” the nineteen year-old answered, sounding uncertain. On one hand, he didn’t want to do this – but on the other, it was either follow his uncle’s plan, or face the fifty year-old’s wrath. “But… yes – yes, they did.”

 

The officer squinted at Andrés as he detected the uncertainty in the nineteen year-old’s voice, causing his suspicions to grow. “I see.” He wrote something on his clipboard, before looking between the two. He felt like he was a detective from the typical 1950s mystery film – and the Acostas were the bad guy and his sidekick, trying to hatch an evil plot. “And do either of you have an exact statement from them to prove your claims? Or are you saying this because you’re hoping I’ll take Señorita Victoria’s father and grandfather away to a special facility, so you can have her all to yourself?”

 

“ _Shit,_ ” the fifty year-old cursed underneath his breath, before his eyes darted towards the officer. “Of course not! Why would I, the one and only _Bruno Acosta_ , lie to you?”

 

The officer rolled his eyes, not buying his façade. “Look – unless you have proof, I’m not buying the whole ‘the Riveras are hallucinating some random man who has never been heard of before’ thing.” He ripped the paper off of his clipboard, revealing that it was a picture of Señor Acosta with an arrowing pointing at him, with the caption _quién es el delirante aquí?_

 

Bruno snatched the picture from the officer’s hands as he stood up from his seat. He slammed his hand on the desk and shouted, “I will come back with proof that Victoria’s family is full of _idiotas delirantes!_ One way or another, I’ll show you!”

 

Andrés flinched as he watched his uncle storm out of the cubicle, slamming the door shut behind him. The nineteen year-old turned to the officer and said, “Sorry – it’s just that he’s _very_ stubborn when it comes to getting what he wants.”

  
“I can see that,” the officer remarked, reaching for his pen again. “I feel sorry for that poor woman – no one deserves such a _loco hijo de puta_ pursuing them.” His eyes darted towards the nineteen year-old as he added, “No offense.”

 

“None taken,” Andrés said, standing up from his seat as he was about to follow after his uncle. “I always thought he was a huge _pendejo_ , anyway.”

 

* * *

 

Back at the shoe shop, the Rivera family was finishing up their packing, ready to leave. But before they could head out the front door, they all huddled together.

 

“Is everyone clear on the plan?” Héctor asked.

 

“We’re going to search for the catacombs,” Imelda began.

 

“Find that mansion,” Rosita continued.

 

“Sic Pepita on that _estúpido_ ,” the twins added in unison.

 

“And find Victoria and bring her home,” Julio finished.

 

They all nodded in agreement. Imelda then led them outside, where Pepita was waiting.

 

Imelda patted her alebrije’s head, turning back to the family as she said, “With Pepita, we’ll be able to locate Victoria in no time.”

 

But before the family could climb onto the jaguar’s back, a loud whimper could be heard. They all turned to the right, and saw Dante sitting by the porch, looking at them with big eyes.

 

“I think he wants to come with us,” Héctor said, as he walked over to the xolo alebrije. He knelt down as he apologized, “I’m sorry, boy… we appreciate your efforts – we really do – but this is our journey to make.” As the dog whined, he patted his head. “We’ll be fine, I promise. Besides, I’m sure you have an owner who’s very worried about you – you should get back to them.”

 

Dante’s ears went down as he barked in protest, trying to get them all to realize that they needed him in order to find the correct path to the mansion, for the catacombs were vast and many.

 

But Héctor simply stood up and went over to Pepita – and together, the family climbed the jaguar and took off, beginning their search.

 

Dante howled as he watched Pepita fly away, carrying the family on her back. He flapped his wings, before he took off after them, determined to make them listen no matter what.

 

* * *

 

In the Land of the Living, a young boy of twelve years was searching through a plaza, calling out: “Dante! Dante, where are you?”

 

The boy frowned as he was not met by the bark of his dog, but by the usual whispers from the other musicians who had stopped by the plaza. “Where could he be?” he asked quietly. “And why would he run off like that?”

 

“Miguel!” an old woman’s voice called out.

 

The boy turned, and saw his seventy-six year-old grandmother, Elena Rivera, marching towards him. “Abuelita!”

 

“What are you doing here so late at night?” Elena asked her grandson. Though her voice sounded stern, there was a concerned look on her face. “You nearly gave me and your parents a heart attack!”

 

“Lo siento, Abuelita,” Miguel apologized, feeling ashamed to have frightened his family with his absence. “I was just looking for Dante, since he ran off earlier.”

 

Elena’s expression softened. “We’ll search for him after breakfast tomorrow morning,” she said, wrapping an arm around her grandson. “Right now, you need to come home.”

 

“Okay,” the boy sighed.

 

Together, both grandmother and grandson began to head back to the shoe shop.

 

On the way back home, Elena thought about the xolo's disappearance. It reminded her of when Pepita had disappeared, after her grandparents died back in 1980 – the cat had never been found, and so she and her sister assumed that the cat had become a spirit guide for their grandparents. Then again, the only way to find out if the same fate had really happened to Dante would be if the family couldn’t find him by Día de Muertos.

 

The old woman smiled a little, as she was reminded of the holiday. It wouldn't be too long before she would be able to see her dead relatives again – especially her older sister.

 

Little did she know, however, that this year's Día de Muertos would be much more different…

 

* * *

 

“Wow – so as the result of _one little mistake,_ all of that chaos happened?”

 

In a museum in Central Mexico, a young Japanese girl of thirteen years stood across from an elderly security guard and a red-haired tour guide, who stood in front of a big book titled _Golden Petals and the Melody of a Guitar_. Behind the young girl were four other kids – a fifteen year-old Vietnamese boy, a sixteen year-old Nicaraguan boy, a fourteen year-old Israeli girl and an eighteen year-old Peruvian girl. They were all a group of students whose parents had sent them to Mexico to study the deep, rich and interesting history there.

 

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call almost poisoning one's friend and then locking said friend's son-in-law up a ‘mistake’,” the security guard answered bluntly.

 

The red-haired tour guide elbowed him. “She means the _xolo's_ mistake, Guicho,” she hissed, before looking back at the Japanese girl. “But yes, Kiko – because of Dante's mistake, a lot of chaos happened as a result.”

 

“So this Bruno guy tried getting Victoria's family locked up in some facility just so she could be his, and his alone?” the Israeli girl, Avigail, asked as she scrunched her nose up in disgust. “That’s not what I’d call love.”

 

“Yeah – it's more like an obsession,” the Vietnamese boy, Dai, remarked.

 

“You two aren’t completely wrong about that,” the tour guide agreed. “He indeed had a very unhealthy obsession with Señorita Victoria.”

 

“But Señora Mary, what about Ernesto?” the Nicaraguan boy, Juan, questioned the tour guide.

 

“Did he ever manage to woo Victoria?” the Peruvian girl, Dolores, added.

 

“Settle down, children,” Guicho told the two teenagers. “Your questions will be answered _once_ Mary Beth has finished the story.”

 

The group of teenagers all looked at each other, before turning to Mary Beth. “Sorry for interrupting, Mary,” they all apologized.

 

“It’s alright,” Mary said with a smile. “Now, as for Ernesto and Victoria…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, bruno’s plan is foiled – for now, at least. and yeah, the bit with the riveras was small, but i didn’t have much else in mind. oops.  
> as for dante being miguel’s dog: look, he had to come from _somewhere._ and dogs are just very curious and run off easily, so it only seemed logical to have dante's owner be a living rivera. that, and i really wanted an excuse to throw in miguel and elena...
> 
> as for the little bonus at the end: you shall receive a buñuelo if you can guess who mary and guicho are, because they'll be appearing again later on. ;)  
> the teenagers were just a cute addition i came up with – i thought it'd be cute if the story was being told to a bunch of kids in their early to late teens. i hope you guys also like this little ragtag bunch, too.  
>  ~~maybe if i ever get around to another vicesto disney au fic, i’ll feature these kids again. maybe they'll get slightly bigger roles. idk, i just love my new oc children a lot okay~~  
>  i know i keep saying this a lot, but: hope y’all enjoyed this chapter!


	13. 012. “do you know juanita?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the author finally decides to throw in a song from “Coco”, after eleven chapters.
> 
> Unfortunately, it is not a popular one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> major credit to hexly for one of their comments on chapter 6 – it had me in tears while writing this. :')  
> anyway, with this, we begin the small bonding chapter saga – the buildup to “something there”, if you will.  
> the version of "everyone knows juanita" used in this chapter is the english translation of the spanish version. ;)

The next day, Ernesto laid in bed, still bandaged as he thought of his current situation. Día de Muertos was three months away and he needed to come up with a good plan to woo Victoria, in order for his curse to be lifted and for him to avoid his soul being sent to the Land of the Forgotten.

 

But it was hard, considering the fact that not only was she the granddaughter of Héctor and Imelda, but that she was also _so much different_ from all of the other women he’d – well, ‘courting’ wasn’t really a proper term to describe his past conquests. Still, Victoria wasn’t like the other women; she wasn’t docile, shy, or flirtatious. She wasn’t like the others, who would throw themselves at him and feel him up, offering him a pleasurable night – she was free-spirited, brilliant, composed, irrepressible, warmhearted; a person like her was completely new to him.

 

She challenged him and as much as he hated to admit it, even put him in his place. The moment she whipped out her shoe and fended off the rogue wolves, she had stolen his heart, leaving him completely and utterly besotted.

 

 _I must win her affections_ , he thought to himself. _But how?_

 

Before he could try to come up with a way to woo Victoria, she entered his room, a tray of breakfast in hand.

 

“I figured you’d need some food in order for you to regain your strength,” she stated as she placed the tray on his lap, before she sat down on the edge of the bed.

 

Ernesto sat up, and began to eat some of his breakfast. While he was doing so, he noticed Victoria was eyeing him while tilting her head in curiosity, as though he had just sprouted wings or something.

 

A few minutes later, after he finished eating, he asked her, "Are you alright?"

 

"Oh, yes," she answered quickly. "It's just that I've been thinking…"

 

Ernesto tilted his head a bit. "About what?"

 

"Well…" She fiddled with her fingers as she looked down at her lap. "Music is a big part of my family – after shoes, that is." 

 

"Really? I never would have guessed," he said sarcastically, though there was a small smile on his face. 

 

She looked at him, narrowing her eyes as a small smile made its way across her face. "Anyway," she continued, "I thought about it and you know, for a mariachi, you sure don't seem like a very musical man." 

 

“‘Not a very musical man’, huh?” Ernesto smirked, as an idea hit him. _Of course, she will listen to music!_ “Could you open the trunk over there?” He pointed to a blue trunk in the corner of the room.

 

Victoria raised an eyebrow, but complied with his request. She went over to the trunk and opened it up, only to see a guitar in it. She picked it up and brought it over to him. “I don’t understand, why do you—”

 

“—hush, and let me show you how a _real_ mariachi does it,” he interrupted her, as he took the guitar into his hands. He strummed its strings, and began to sing a familiar tune.

 

> _“Do you know Juanita?_
> 
> _She has two-colored eyes,_
> 
> _Her teeth are crooked and she has three…”_

 

Victoria’s eyes widened as she recognized the song. _Qué en el nombre del dulce bebé Jesús?!_ she thought, as her facial expression contorted into one of surprise and slight disgust.

 

Ernesto continued singing, though he stumbled over the words a little as he tried not to be too vulgar. After all, if he was going to impress her, he’d have to try to keep it ‘clean.’

 

 

> _“And with her…nails, she scratches the floor.”_

“Her nails?” Victoria placed her hands on her hips, a little amused by his choice of lyrics.

 

“I – didn’t want to be too inappropriate,” Ernesto chuckled nervously. Then, he flashed a grin at her. “But _anyway,_ what was that about how I’m ‘not a very musical man’?”

 

“Okay, so _perhaps_ I was wrong about that,” she admitted. “You certainly do have a… way with words.”

 

“Of course I do,” he said, puffing his chest in confidence as he got up. “I am Ernesto de la Cruz, after all! The greatest musician of all ti— _AY, AY, AY!_ ” he yelped in pain, falling back into the bed as he clutched his left leg.

 

She laughed a little as she got up and went over to his side, patting his arm. “Try not to get too full of yourself. You’re still recovering.”

 

“Alright,” he sighed, as his pride wilted.

 

Victoria smiled at him. “Good.” She got up, ready to leave the room – but before she could do so, she turned back and said, “Gracias, sin embargo, por el pequeño rendimiento. Estuvo muy… interesante.”

 

Ernesto’s smile and pride returned as he heard those words. Once she left the room, he laid his head on the pillow as he began to think of more ways to impress her.

 

He would seize his moment and win her over, no matter what it took.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and the score tally when it comes to winning the other’s affections is…  
> victoria: 2  
> ernesto: 1 (obviously, this is just me throwing him a bone)
> 
> on an unrelated note: i’ve been thinking of writing another au fic for this ship – either a modern actor AU (or just a modern AU in general, because i’ve got some funny ideas in mind), an aladdin AU (with my own twists obviously), a lady and the tramp AU (either set in a more "modern" era or in the land of the dead), or a corpse ‘groom’ AU. any thoughts? as i've said a hundred times before: i still take suggestions, too.
> 
> anyway, hope this chapter was fluffy/comedic enough for you guys!


	14. 013. catching up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ernesto learns of how the living world has been in the past 75 years, along with a shocking surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m repeating myself at this point but once again, kudos to hexly for the idea used within this chapter!  
> also, i've come to realize this little bonding-fluff saga will probably have just two more chapters before we get to "something there" because i just have this really good idea for the alternative to the library scene in the song number and i can't wait to write it out.

During Ernesto’s bedridden stage, wooing Victoria wasn’t the only thing he thought about – sure, it was in his priorities, but that didn't mean that he didn't think of other things.

 

Case in point: one day, he found himself wondering how things were like in the Land of the Living in the past seventy-five years. Obviously, he knew that the majority of his “fans” had forgotten him, but still – how much had really changed since then?

 

So, when Victoria was about to examine his wound to see if it had gotten better, he asked her: “How has the living world been since I died?”

 

She stopped for a moment, and looked at him. “You want to know how things have been going in the living world, during the past seventy-five years?”

 

He nodded. “Yes – I want to know how much has changed since then.”

 

“Well,” Victoria began, “for one: the war lasted for three more years, since the boat attacks – the government even sent some soldiers to fight, I believe. The next couple of decades after the war, there was an economic miracle, with more industrialization – a new 'revolution', if you will call it.” As he sat up, intrigued by the ‘news’, she continued, “The cinema was in its golden age – you should’ve seen it! It was all so thrilling. Tickets were quickly sold out, and the theaters were filled with thousands of people.” Her voice was filled with a little excitement, as she recalled some of the films from the late 1940s and then on, “Most of them were absolute gems like _Doña Perfecta, El Revoltoso,_ and _Pepe El Toro_.”

 

“Things seem to have evolved very quickly,” Ernesto remarked, smiling a little at her enthusiasm. While there was a part of him that still felt bitter about being forgotten, it was easily pushed aside as he focused on how much had changed – along with how adorable the woman was, when she spoke. “I’m glad to hear about the industrialization, and that the cinema has reached its peak since then.”

 

“Oh, yes – the cinema only got better over the years,” she said, nodding. Then, she thought of her favorite films. “But even with all these new films, the films from the 1930s were the real classics – especially ones like _Don Hidalgo, La Casa Blanca,_ and _El Padrino_.”

 

His eyes widened as he recognized the films’ titles, as he had been the _lead_ in each one. “You – you’ve watched those films?” he stammered, surprised that she knew of his work.

 

“ _Por supuesto!_ ” she answered, sounding more enthusiastic. “Son mis _favoritos!_ ”

 

Ernesto’s jaw nearly dropped as he heard her refer to his films as her favorites. He couldn’t believe it; she enjoyed – no, she _loved_ his films!

 

“For some odd reason, Abuelito and Abuelita forbade the family from watching any of those films, so I sometimes snuck out to the market just to get a glimpse at them on the televisions,” Victoria explained, as she fondly remembered a part of her childhood. “The audio was a little lower, and the images were a bit blurry – but I still remember how the lead was always a courageous, generous man who was willing to do anything to achieve his goals.”

 

His ghostly heart nearly skipped a beat at her words. _She thinks I’m courageous and generous…_

“I never did get a good look at him, though, since the television’s quality got in the way – and they stopped showing a few years later,” she added. “I always imagined that he was very handsome, though.”

 

“Oh…” Ernesto’s ghostly heart then sunk a little. She knew of his work, but she didn’t know that the lead was him. She didn’t recognize him – to her, he was just a mysterious man who had a handsome face.

 

Victoria didn’t notice the look of disappointment on his face, as she went back to examining his wound. She took a good look at it, and noticed that the cracks seemed to be getting better. “It looks like you’ll be walking again pretty soon,” she told him.

 

“That’s – wonderful to hear,” Ernesto said, forcing a smile.

 

As she got up and left the room, he placed his head in his hands as he groaned. Just when things were going well, fate had to be cruel to him once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in the original tale _la belle et la bête_ , beauty dreams of a handsome prince, whom she does not recognize to be the beast – i thought hexly’s idea with victoria knowing some of ernesto’s movies without fully recognizing him paralleled that element perfectly, so this chapter was written.
> 
> in the next one, we’ll be getting to the library – but without the song number since i’m not quite ready to jump into that just yet, even if i’m very excited about it. ;)
> 
> also: the mexican films referenced in this chapter – save for the ones ernesto stars in, for obvious reasons – are real, actual movies that are a part of cinema history in mexico. _pepe el toro_ in particular stars one of the many iconic actors in mexican history, pedro infante, who is one of the inspirations for ernesto’s character alongside jorge negrete and vicente fernández – the latter of which is still very much alive, though he did retire from performing in 2016.


	15. 014. a library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the title is very self-explanatory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so here’s the library scene. it's small and short, but i think it's sweet and (hopefully) gets to the point. after this, there’s only one more small chapter left before “something there.” that way, it’s still very much a slow build.  
> anyways, enjoy more fluff!  
> (p.s.: yes, victoria will find out ernesto’s identity, but in another twist ok)

Indeed, Victoria was right – it wasn’t too long before Ernesto was walking again. Now that he was back on his feet, he was able to execute the next part of his plan on wooing her.

 

“Victoria, tengo un maravillosa sorpresa para ti,” he said, as he led her down a hallway.

 

“And what exactly is this surprise?” she questioned him.

 

“Just close your eyes, and I’ll show you,” he answered.

 

She raised an eyebrow, slightly skeptical of what he was planning, but shut her eyes and went along with it. He grabbed her hand and continued to lead her towards a room.

 

“Can I open my eyes now?”

 

“Not yet.”

 

Ernesto opened the door and led her inside the room, then whispered to her, “Okay, _now_ you can open them.”

 

Victoria opened her eyes and she found herself in a library, with dozens of bookshelves stacked with – at least, she assumed – over a million books.

  
“This is wonderful,” she whispered, looking around the place.

 

“I figured you’d like it,” he remarked. When she turned to him, he quickly tried to take back what he said, “I mean, uh – _I’m glad_ you like it!” He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

She folded her arms, amused by how he tried covering up the fact that he was spoiling her. “Gracias,” she thanked him, patting his shoulder.

 

He noticed the casual tone of her voice, noting that she wasn’t exactly as impressed as he thought she would be. _I gave her a library, yet still nothing? What am I doing wrong?_ “De nada,” he replied, his confidence deflating a bit. He had been so sure that showing her the library would win her over, yet it didn’t.

 

Victoria took a book titled _Romeo y Julieta_ from one of the shelves and sat down at a table – but as she was about to read it, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ernesto just standing in place. “Why are you still standing there?” she asked, then beckoned for him to sit down next to her. “Ven aca – let’s read together.”

 

Ernesto smiled a little as he went over and sat down next to her. Together, the two began to read the tragic romance.

 

Still, even as he was reading, he couldn’t help but think of his mistake. Perhaps, he thought, he should try harder next time – actually pay attention to what she said, and consider what _she_ wanted instead of just assuming things and spoiling her with gifts.

 

Perhaps, he should try doing something for her, instead of just giving her gifts… what he would do, though, was something he’d have to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as you can see, he's still mucking it up when giving gifts to her, as he has only now realized that spoiling probably isn't the same as a genuine gift – of course, it's ernesto though, so that's to be expected. XD
> 
> anyway, the next chapter will probably be a bit more satisfying, since let's just say i've chosen to take a suggestion from k-chips...


	16. 015. harmonic progression

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY, this little bonding saga is at its end, and we can soon move onto “something there”, where ernesto finally doesn't muck up with gifts for once.  
> anyway, this chapter was inspired by a suggestion k-chips made way back on chapter 2. it's a tiny result, but any vicesto is a good vicesto so enjoy!

Now that Ernesto was back on his feet, Victoria no longer had to tend to his needs – thus, she got some time to relax and be by herself in the villa.

 

And of course, with time to herself, it allowed her to think about everything – especially her relationship with Ernesto.

 

Her relationship with the mariachi was… at a strange position, to say the least. He was the man who tried to kill her grandfather, yes – but he also tried to save her from those rogue wolf alebrijes, and he had already learned from his mistakes a _long_ time ago. He seemed to be changing a bit, too – though she wondered if it was true or not. She still felt a little conflicted about him.

 

All in all, living with him was a rather interesting experience – the circumstances that led to her residence weren’t good, of course, but there were some good things that came out of her choice to stay; such as the library, for example.

 

Victoria sighed as she sat on a bench, in an empty room in the villa. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

 

She breathed in, as she tried to relax herself. Maybe, she thought, a small tune might ease her mind a bit.

 

And so, she began to hum softly.

 

> _“I climbed the highest tree, Llorona,_
> 
> _To see if I could spot you._
> 
> _But the pine tree was tender, Llorona,_
> 
> _When it saw me cry, it cried…”_

As she was humming, she thought she was alone – but she wasn’t, for Ernesto happened to be walking by, by chance.

 

The man stopped as he heard faint humming, and slowly began making his way towards the source of it.

 

> _“Alas, Llorona, Llorona,_
> 
> _Llorona dressed in light blue…”_

Much to his surprise, Ernesto saw Victoria sitting on the bench, humming the all too familiar tune.

 

Her voice was so beautiful, that he couldn’t help but say, “Tu voz es como un diamante en bruto.”

 

She stopped humming and turned to him, startled to see that she wasn't exactly alone as she'd thought. “You – you _heard_ that?”

 

“Sí,” he answered, smiling and nodding. “I like the way you sing. It’s _muy hermosa._ ”

 

“Oh…” Her markings began to glow a little, as a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Gracias.”

 

“Would you mind continuing?” he asked her.

 

She paused for a moment, before she nodded. “Sure.”

 

And so, she did continue singing.

 

> _“And even if it costs my life, Llorona,_
> 
> _I won’t stop loving you.”_

 

Ernesto was such a strange case – but strange didn't always necessarily mean bad, as she had learned.

 

Sometimes, the stranger they were, the more fun was had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, i included the english translation of la llorona's lyrics on purpose. >:)  
> expect more progress for these two in the next one!


	17. 016. “something there”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally, the chapter we've all been waiting for… it took 16 chapters for us to make it this far, but we're FINALLY starting the actual romance here!  
> i used the english translation of the spanish version once again, because i just love the style they make with the lyrics.  
> as always, hope ya enjoy the fluff. <3

One day, Ernesto found himself in the indoor garden – beside himself, not knowing what else to do in order to impress Victoria. He wasn’t alone, though, for his alebrijes were also there with him.

 

“I've never loved anyone like _this_ before,” he said softly. “Everything about her gives me this burning, passionate feeling… she is worth more than all of the riches in the world.” He put his hand under his chin. “I want to do something special for her, but what will impress her?”

 

“Have you tried chocolates, flowers… promises you don't intend to keep?” Urtzi suggested.

 

“Ah, yes – because ladies just _love_ dishonesty,” Coletta said sarcastically.

 

“Is there something she specializes in?” Sixto questioned his master. “That should be the key to her interests.”

 

“Well, her family owns a shoe shop— wait a minute…” Ernesto trailed off as an idea formed in his head. If he made her a pair of shoes, then she would most definitely be impressed. “Yes, that’s it!”

 

He then quickly left the indoor greenhouse, and quickly went to search for the materials he’d need in order to craft some shoes.

 

This plan was brilliant – just _brilliant._

 

* * *

 

Many hours were spent as Ernesto crafted the shoes. The work was grueling, as he had never really crafted anything before – but it was all worth it, for Victoria.

 

Speaking of which, he was now leading the woman towards his room.

 

"Okay, Ernesto – what is this about, exactly?" she asked teasingly, remembering how excited he had been to show her another little 'surprise' he had waiting for her.

 

"I have a little gift for you," he replied, smiling as he opened the door. "Tada!"

 

"I don't see— oh!" Victoria breathed, as her eyes fell upon a pair of huaraches resting atop the mariachi's bed. The shoes had a colorful pattern, consisting of blue, purple and orange. "Ernesto, son _hermosa!_ "

 

"I remembered what you said about shoes being an important part of your family, so I made them for you," he told her.

 

She turned to him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you so much," she whispered happily, smiling.

 

At first, Ernesto was caught off guard by the hug – but soon, he returned it. Seeing her happy gave him a pleasurable feeling – it made him feel accomplished. "You're welcome," he whispered back, gently stroking her back. "That's what friends are for, right?"

 

Victoria pulled away from the hug, nodding. Then, she went over to the bed and sat down on it. She slipped off her old huaraches, and tried on her new ones. She stood up and twirled a bit, holding up the hems of her dress in order to show off her new shoes.

 

"So, you like them?" he asked.

 

" _Like them?_ " she repeated his words, her smile growing a little. "Oh, I _love_ them!"

 

"Glad to hear," he chuckled at her excitement.

 

She looked at him for a moment, her smile fading a little as she thought of her old life – of how she hadn't really had a friend outside of her family, back in the Land of the Remembered. She still remembered the harassment from Bruno – how judgmental he had been about her family's business, his words still echoing through her mind. And yet, Ernesto was so different – he was so… understanding.

 

"You know," she said in a soft voice, "no one's ever done anything like this for me before."

 

"What?"

 

"Back in the Land of the Remembered, there was this man who would speak so _rudely_ about my family and the shoe business," Victoria explained. "His name was Bruno, and he was this huge _chauvinista_ who was obsessed with getting me to be his dainty little wife just because of my beauty – otherwise, he saw me as an 'improper, unladylike' woman."

 

"That Bruno sounds like an _imbécil,_ " Ernesto said, angered to hear of the man's behavior towards his friend. "I mean – you? _Improper?_ You're all but that!" as he said this, he moved closer to her, placing a hand on her shoulder as he smiled at her. "Don't believe a word he says, because none of it is true – you are much more than just a pretty face."

 

Her smile returned upon hearing those words. She placed her hand on his, and gave it a squeeze. "You're right."

 

* * *

 

Weeks passed, and Ernesto and Victoria were getting closer and closer by each day.

 

It didn’t take long for Victoria to realize that Ernesto really had changed. No longer was the mariachi crude, coarse and unrefined – now, he was sweet and even kind. He was barely recognizable as the man who tried to murder her grandfather – instead, he was someone whom she was glad to call her _friend._

 

As they were together in the greenhouse one afternoon, she couldn’t help but laugh as she saw him playing with his Chihuahua alebrijes. In her head, she’d begun to sing.

 

> _“What great goodness I find there,_
> 
> _Although at first, I believed he was rude and bad._
> 
> _Now I know he’s not like that._
> 
> _I don’t know why I never saw the good in him.”_

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Ernesto saw Victoria laughing at him. In his mind, as he sung, he couldn’t help but be surprised by how joyful she was – how she wasn’t angry with him anymore, and that they were now friends. Seeing her smile gave him hope that this friendship could turn into something more.

 

> _“She glanced over here, it seemed to me._
> 
> _And when we came close, she didn’t reject me.”_

 

He then shook his head. No, he couldn’t get his hopes up just yet. He had to give it time – just so that if he was proven wrong, the blow would be softened.

 

> _“It’s never been, I’ll just ignore it._
> 
> _But nevertheless, she never looked at me like that.”_

As Victoria noticed that he was now staring at her, she suddenly felt a little shy. She hid behind a rose bush, and placed her hand on her chest as a feeling of warmth washed over her. She began to breathe in and out, while her markings glowed brightly.

 _What is this feeling?_ she wondered. _Why do I only feel like this when I’m around him?_

 

> _“The warmth is very alarming,_
> 
> _What a surprise the one I got.”_

She peered over the bushes, and couldn’t help but giggle as she saw Ernesto being tackled to the ground by his alebrijes, smothered by the dogs’ love for their master.

 

> _“He’s not a gallant prince,_
> 
> _But there’s so much that I couldn’t see in him before.”_

He sat up and looked at her. “What’s so funny?”

 

“Nothing, it’s just – muy lindo,” she answered, grinning.

 

“Well – I bet it’s not as adorable as _you_ ,” he said as he stood up, smirking as he saw her markings glow.

 

She walked over to him and bumped his shoulder. “Quiet, you!” she said teasingly, then left.

 

He laughed, then followed after her.

 

Alípio, Coletta, Urtzi and Sixto looked at each other with excitement in their eyes.

 

> _“No one thought._
> 
>  

> _What a blessing!_
> 
>  

> _No one’s dreamt this.”_

“How could it be that when they were brought together, something incredible came from it?” Sixto asked, joy in his tone.

 

“This is so unusual!” Coletta yipped in agreement. “We must hope that it goes on like this.”

 

“And I believe,” Urtzi pitched in, “that it may be that there’s something more there…”

 

“Like love?” Alípio asked, turning to Coletta.

 

“We’ll have to wait and see,” Coletta replied.

 

Then, together, the Chihuahua alebrijes left the greenhouse to keep a close eye on their master and possible mistress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the part where victoria vents to ernesto about bruno is inspired by a moment in the broadway version of beauty and the beast, where belle mentions how the villagers judged her back when she lived in town to beast. and the part where ernesto makes her shoes was inspired by an anonymous comment back on chapter 6.
> 
> now, the next chapter jumps back to bruno and his evil scheme (ugh, i know) and the riveras along with dante, because we need to check up on them before we get to the whole “tale as old as time” chapter!
> 
> damn, now that i think about it, this fic is starting to take more after the remake and broadway play...


	18. 017. more scheming and a search party gone wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bruno tries again with his evil scheme, and the Riveras have the worst luck ever when it comes to rescue missions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, kudos to hexly once again for giving me some ideas for this chapter. y'all are such a big help.
> 
> anyway, in this chapter, bruno continues with his dickery and the riveras are just trying their best.

“Did Victoria fall in love with Ernesto?” Kiko asked, jumping up and down in excitement. “Did she, did she, _did she?!_ ”

 

“Woah – settle down there, niñita!” Guicho chuckled, placing his hands on the girl’s shoulder in order to calm her down. “This a museum, not a _granja de caballos._ ”

 

“Heh,” Kiko laughed as she looked at the guard, before looking back at the tour guide. “Sorry.”

 

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Mary said. “But anyhow – back in the Land of the Remembered…”

 

* * *

 

A couple of months passed, and it was now October.

 

Bruno still had yet to provide evidence for his claims against Julio and Héctor due to the Rivera family constantly leaving the shoe shop to search for Victoria, who had disappeared. He assumed the woman had left due to her father and grandfather’s raving about their delusions – but where to, he didn’t know.

 

Still, he was determined to get the obstacles – that of which was her family – out of the way, so that he could finally have his little trophy wife.

 

So one day, with some help from his nephew, Bruno gathered some of the townspeople around the town hall for a meeting.

 

“I’d like to thank you all for coming,” the fifty year-old said to the crowd, as he stepped up on a large wooden platform with a microphone.

 

“The hell is this all about, Acosta?” a short, old skeleton – known by his friends as Chicharrón – asked. “Why have you brought us here?”

 

“The reason I have brought you all here is because something dreadful has happened,” Bruno announced, feigning worriedness and sorrow. “Victoria – the youngest of the Rivera family – has disappeared, and I am afraid that her father and grandfather might have something to do with it.”

 

Some people gasped in shock, while others began to whisper amongst themselves.

 

“Why do you think Héctor and Julio are responsible for her disappearance?” an old woman, Chelo, asked as she tilted her head in curiosity.

 

“I heard them both raving to the family about Julio ending up in the Land of the Intermediate and met a man named ‘De la Cruz’,” Bruno explained. “It all sounded like a hallucination – after all, have any of you heard of this De la Cruz?” Some of the crowd members shook their heads, while others seemed to be deep in thought. “Exactly – and yet, Héctor _believed_ it! He even got the family to believe him and his son-in-law’s delusional rambling, which leads me to believe that _darling_ Victoria ran away in order to escape these _psicópatas._ ”

 

“The Riveras are the sweetest, most sane family I have ever met,” Ceci said, taking a step closer to the platform. Her eyes were narrowed as her conscience and voice were filled with doubt. “How can we be so sure they’re the ones responsible for her disappearance?”

 

“She has a point,” Chicharrón agreed with the dressmaker, taking a step up next to her. “For all we know, it could’ve been _YOU_ who caused her to run away!”

 

Bruno’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he glared at the two. “Andrés, come here!” he called out to his nephew, who stood far away from him on the platform.

 

The nineteen year-old complied with his uncle’s orders, his body trembling as he got closer to the fifty year-old. “Yes, Tío Bruno?”

 

“Andrés, my _sweet nephew,_ ” the fifty year-old began, fake sweetness in his tone, “would I, your uncle – your own _flesh and blood_ – lie about such a matter?”

 

Andrés was silent as he looked at the crowd, then at his uncle. “I… I…” _Yes, yes you would lie! You’re lying right now!_ he wanted to shout, but he couldn’t bring himself to, for the fear of his uncle’s wrath ate away at him.

 

“ _ANDRÉS!_ ” his uncle shouted, raising his voice. “Would I lie about a situation involving the _only woman I’ve ever loved_ and her family?”

 

The boy flinched at the older man’s harsh tone. “N-no, Tío!” he stammered. “Of – of course not.”

 

While most of the crowd seemed convinced, Ceci and Chicharrón still had their doubts.

 

“I think we’ll need an actual word from the Riveras in order to see if that really is true,” Ceci stated.

 

“You better have proof by Día de Muertos,” Chicharrón said. “Unless, of course, you want to be known as an _obsessed freak._ ”

 

“Oh, don’t worry!” Bruno yelled, as a dark expression crossed his features. “I’ll have proof by then, alright!”

 

The fifty year-old grabbed his nephew’s arm, dragging the boy along with him as he stepped off the platform, in the direction of the shoe shop.

 

“T-Tío, what are you doing?” Andrés asked, attempting to yank his arm out of his uncle’s tight grip.

 

“I’m not doing anything,” Bruno replied in a simple tone, his gaze shifting to his nephew. “ _You_ , on the other hand, are going to stay by the shoe shop and watch over until Victoria and her family come home.”

 

“But – but…” Andrés attempted to protest to his uncle’s plan, then trailed off. Oh, why did he have to be stuck with him as a relative?

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, the Riveras’ search for their youngest member wasn’t as going as well as they had thought. The catacombs were vast and many, yet none of the ones they found led to the Land of the Intermediate. Not even Pepita, Imelda’s mighty jaguar alebrije, could sniff them out.

 

“ _Maldita sea!_ ” Imelda yelled in exasperation, throwing her arms up in the air. “Why did it have to be _catacombs?_ Why couldn’t it have been a large, dark cave that would lead us to the Land of the Intermediate? Why _catacombs?!_ ”

 

“Calm down, amor,” Héctor said as he placed his hands on his wife’s shoulder, massaging them. “We’ll find Vico soon.”

 

“If we’re lucky enough,” Julio added with a sigh, taking his hat off. He shook his head, feeling guilty about everything. If he had left the mansion sooner, then none of this would be happening.

 

Then, Rosita heard barking. “Do you hear that?” she asked the twins.

 

“It sounds—” Óscar began.

 

“—just like—” Felipe continued.

 

“—Dante!” the two finished in unison.

 

The family turned, and saw Dante running towards them. The xolo skidded to a stop, right in front of the family. He kept barking, as he pointed his nose in a different direction, gesturing for them to follow him. The Riveras all looked at each other, with the same question in their mind.

 

“You think we should follow him?” Imelda spoke up, looking at her husband.

 

“Well, we haven’t had any luck finding Ernesto’s mansion so far,” Héctor responded. He turned to the xolo alebrije. “This dog may just be the only chance we have at getting Vico back.” He took a few steps towards the dog, then knelt down. “Alright, boy – take us to her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #brunoisahijodeputa & #riverafamilyisbestfamily
> 
> the next chapter is the “tale as old as time” scene – and guys, let me tell ya, it’s gonna be very romantic; more so than the last chapter. think of it like a big chocolate cake, except the cake is replaced with this crack ship.


	19. 018. “fábula ancestral”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here we are, finally – the moment we’ve all been anticipating: tale as old as time. of course, like always, it’s the latin american version – except this time, i actually used the spanish lyrics because i thought it’d sound more romantic with all of the shippy goodness that ensues here. :D while a part of me died while writing this chapter due to how long it took, im most definitely pleased with the results – pretty good, if i do say so myself!  
> quick shoutout to anon-a-miss for contributing an idea: gracias, muchacha!  
> anyhow, please enjoy this chapter!

It was nighttime on November 1st, the beginning of Día de Muertos.

 

Ernesto stood in front of the mirror in his room, dressed in a blue mariachi outfit. Sixto and Urtzi stood by his feet, observing him.

 

“I saw her in the dance hall,” he began rambling, “and I said, _‘You’re making this so beautiful. Why don’t we dance together tonight?’_ I never would have thought she’d actually say yes!”

 

“No, Maestro, don’t you see? It’s _perfect!_ ” Sixto exclaimed. “The marigold has four petals left, which means that tonight… you _have_ to confess your love.”

 

“I just hope she feels the same,” Ernesto sighed, feeling nervous about everything. Tonight was his last night, and many thoughts raced through his head. What if he messed up? What if his feelings weren't requited? What if she turned him away?

 

“Do not worry,” Urtzi told his master. “Just stay calm. When the moment is right, that is when you tell her.”

 

Ernesto took a deep breath in, closing his eyes as he tried to calm himself down. _They’re right_ , he told himself. _Don’t be a coward. Tell Victoria how you feel, or else you’ll end up in the Land of the Forgotten._ Then, he exhaled and opened his eyes. “You’re right, I can do this.”

 

“Now that’s the spirit!” Sixto cheered.

 

* * *

 

Victoria stood in front of her bedroom mirror, dressed in a dark blue gown along with her new shoes and a red rose tucked near her bun. She felt a little nervous, though she didn’t know why. After all, Ernesto was her friend. There was no reason for her to be nervous, aside from the fact that he was most likely going to be fully forgotten tonight…

 

She bit her lip as she tried pushing that thought to the back of her mind. _Don’t think like that_ , she told herself. _If these are truly his last moments, then you must make the most of them instead of worrying. It’s what he would want._

 

“Oh, you look beautiful, Señorita!” Coletta gushed, as she and her younger littermate stood not too far from the woman’s feet. “Absolutely radiant!”

 

“Maestro is going to be in complete awe when he sees you!” Alípio added.

 

“You think so?” Victoria asked, looking down at the alebrijes, before looking back at her reflection.

 

“Of course!” Alípio yipped in response. “He’s always had a taste for pretty ladies.”

 

“ _Alí!_ ” Coletta growled, shoving her brother’s shoulder with her paw.

 

“Oops…”

 

If Victoria had a stomach, there would’ve been butterflies in it. She breathed in, then exhaled.

 

She hoped this night would go well, and that there would be no problems.

 

* * *

 

Ernesto stood on the first steps of the staircase, waiting for his friend to step out. When she did step out, his brown eyes widened as they fell upon her while his ghostly heart began to beat rapidly. She was breathtaking, more gorgeous than ever.

 

Mustering up his courage, he extended his arm out to her as she came close. “Eres tan _hermosa_ ,” he told her.

 

Victoria felt her cheeks heat up a little at his words. “Y tú eres resplandeciente,” she replied, linking her arm with his.

 

Together, they descended the staircase into the dance hall. Music began to play as they entered, while Coletta sang softly as she and her littermates watched the two.

 

> _“Fábula ancestral,_
> 
> _Sueño hecho verdad._
> 
> _Belleza y fealdad_
> 
> _juntos hallaran_
> 
> _más que una amistad.”_

The dance all was brightly lit up, the golden lights reflecting off of the pink walls. It had been thoroughly cleaned and scrubbed, reflecting what had once been a place of many celebrations in the past – when De la Cruz had once lived in those days of glory and fame.

 

> _“Algo allí cambió,_
> 
> _En su corazón._
> 
> _Una historia ideal,_
> 
> _Mágico final,_
> 
> _Bella y Bestia son.”_

As the music rose, Victoria offered Ernesto her hands. He took them, placing a kiss on both before flashing a smile at her. Then, he put an arm around her waist while he held one of her hands.

 

“Bailamos, señorita?” he asked her, grinning.

 

“Sí, bailamos,” she chuckled.

 

> _“Siempre será igual,_
> 
> _Siempre sin pensar._
> 
> _Siempre existirá,_
> 
> _Como la verdad,_
> 
> _De que el sol saldrá.”_

 

And so they began to dance together, gliding across the room.

 

“You’re a _wonderful_ dancer,” Ernesto remarked, in awe of how graceful she was.

 

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Victoria responded, a small smile on her face.

 

* * *

 

Dante barked as he flew down near a large hole, sticking his tongue out as his feet touched the ground.

 

Pepita landed next to the xolo, causing the ground to shake a little, before the Rivera family climbed off of her.

 

“Are these the right catacombs, Julio?” Imelda asked her son-in-law. “Is this the way to the Land of the Intermediate?”

 

Julio squinted as he looked down, before quickly nodding. “Sí, it’s the catacombs, alright!”

 

Héctor stroked Dante’s back and patted the dog’s head. “Good boy,” he whispered. “ _Muy buen perro._ ”

 

* * *

 

> _“Fábula ancestral,_
> 
> _Canto celestial._
> 
> _Es tan singular,_
> 
> _Que te hace cambiar_
> 
> _lo que estaba mal.”_

 

In this moment, nothing in the world existed for Victoria and Ernesto except each other. Despite the mariachi's macho physique, he was careful, gentle and graceful.

 

Victoria's ghostly heart nearly skipped a beat as he twirled her around. She felt like she was floating on air, as though she was in a romance novel.

 

Ernesto pulled her closer to him, unable to tear his eyes away from her. He had seen many women in his life, but none were as wonderful as she was. None of them could change him like she had.

 

The lights in the dance hall grew dim as he dipped her, then lifted her into the air and spun her around.

 

Her amber eyes met his brown orbs as he swept her away. Her face felt hot all over as her markings glowed brightly. She couldn't believe that she had once thought of him as no different from a beast, back when they had first met. Now, she saw so much more in him – a friend who made her feel warm inside, a man who made her feel alive. She felt so secure with his arms around her that once he put her down, she couldn't help but nuzzle her head against his chest, not wanting to leave his embrace.

 

Ernesto's markings glowed as warmth rushed through his body. God, how this woman drove him _wild._

  
Sixto, Urtzi and Alípio watched in mounting hope and excitement. Finally, things were starting to look up for them all.

 

> _“Siempre como el sol,_
> 
> _Surge la ilución._
> 
> _Fábula ancestral,_
> 
> _Música inmortal,_
> 
> _Bella y Bestia son.”_

Ernesto and Victoria danced for a few more minutes. He twirled her around one last time, before they stopped and looked at each other.

 

They smiled at each other, linking their arms once more as they left the dance hall, both leaning against one another, filled with bliss. What a perfect night it had been for the two of them.

 

> _“Fábula ancestral,_
> 
> _Música inmortal,_
> 
> _Bella y Bestia son…”_

As the song ended, the Chihuahua alebrijes looked at one another, their tails wagging happily.

 

* * *

 

“You know, for an almost-murderer, Ernesto sure has a good taste in housing.”

 

Having just entered the mansion, the rest of the family shot a glare at Óscar, who immediately added, “I mean, what a _dirty_ _cabrón!_ ”

 

“Since there are so many halls, perhaps we should split up into pairs,” Héctor said. “That way, we’ll be able to find Victoria much faster.”

 

“And it’ll also be easier to find Ernesto and kick his _trasero,_ ” Imelda added, smirking.

 

The Riveras all nodded, before they split up – Héctor with Imelda, Julio with Rosita and Óscar with Felipe – and took off in separate directions.

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, in the pool hall, Ernesto and Victoria sat down next to each other on a small bench.

 

“You know, I haven’t danced like that in a _century_ ,” Ernesto spoke up. “I almost forgot the feeling.”

 

“Well, I’ve never really danced like that before,” Victoria admitted, fiddling with her hands in her lap. “I never knew what it felt like to dance with someone else, until now…”

 

There was a moment of silence. Ernesto watched her, before he took her hand in his. “Victoria, have you been enjoying your stay here?” he questioned her, carefully wording things. He had to know. It was either now, or never.

 

She smiled softly, her amber eyes glowing a little as she gazed at him. “Sí,” she answered, placing her other hand in his. “I haven’t really felt this happy in a long time. You’ve been such a _wonderful_ friend…” Her smile disappeared, however, as she looked up at the windows.

 

He noticed the longing look in her eyes, as she gazed at the night sky. “Hey, what’s wrong? You look a little upset…”

 

She looked back at him, her eyes filled with sadness. “It’s been fantastic here, but... I just wish I could see mi familia again. I miss them all so much.”

 

Ernesto frowned as he was reminded of how he had separated her from her father – and the rest of her family, to an extent. “I see,” he said slowly. “Perhaps—”

 

“— _Victoria!_ ” a loud voice shouted, piercing and cutting its way through the calm atmosphere.

 

Victoria and Ernesto turned to see where the voice had come from, both of their eyes widening in shock as a familiar figure emerged from the shadows, stepping into the light.

 

“Abuelito!”

 

“ _Héctor?_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm saving the angst and “evermore” song number for the next chapter, because i wanna emotionally prepare myself for the heartbreak and feels.
> 
> i hope you guys enjoyed the shippy stuff along with the little canon parallels in regards to the rivera search party and the ending, because it's about to get VERY angsty in the next chapter. also shit's gonna go down SO HARD Y'ALL HAVE NO FUCKIN IDEA
> 
> p.s.: for victoria's dress, just picture it looks like [this](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2244/5817/products/25_fda40a9c-eb38-4c7c-94c8-dce61564b36b_1024x.jpg?v=1512563059) except with the typical wavy ruffle patterns used in mexican dresses.


	20. 019. “evermore”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so here is the chapter that broke my heart to write. i wholeheartedly blame hexly (@rigamaroo) for sending me that ask on tumblr, k-chips for a line used within this chapter, and anonymous for suggesting “evermore” because my heart’s in literal PIECES now – so now, you all have to suffer this angst with me.  
> i kept the original lyrics because it was just too good to switch, also they really do fit ernesto a lot.

Héctor marched towards his granddaughter, throwing his arms around her as he came close. "Vico, _mija_ , we've been looking everywhere for you!" he cried out joyfully.

 

"I missed you, Abuelito," Victoria said, returning the hug. Tears of joy threatened to spill from the corners of her eyes.

 

"I missed you, too. We all did," Héctor replied, squeezing her a bit. "I'm so glad you're okay." He then pulled away from the hug, frowning as his gaze shifted to Ernesto, who just stood there awkwardly. " _You,_ " he gritted out.

 

"Hola, Héctor," Ernesto greeted his former friend, waving nervously. Not once did he think he'd ever come face-to-face with his old friend again and now that he was, he silently screamed in his mind, wishing he had prepared himself for this a long time ago.

 

" _You_ _rat!_ " Héctor yelled angrily, raising his voice as he let go of his granddaughter, moving towards the mariachi. "It wasn't enough that you tried to poison me ninety-six years ago – oh no, that just wasn't enough for you!"

 

Victoria placed her hand on her grandfather's shoulder as she tried to stop him. "Abuelito, no—"

 

Ernesto put a hand out as he backed up. "Héctor, please—"

 

"You had to take mi nieta away and keep her as your prisoner!" Héctor continued to tear into his old friend, clenching his fists. " _How could you?_ She did nothing to deserve any of that!"

 

"Héctor, I can assure you that I never laid a hand on your granddaughter in an inappropriate manner," Ernesto said, trying to defend himself from the other man's wrath. "No harm has come to her during her stay here. She's been doing just fine."

 

"Oh _sure,_ you must have been the most generous host there ever was!" Héctor replied sarcastically, throwing his arms up in the air before turning away from the mariachi, putting a hand to his face. He hated arguing with him, as it brought back memories of that fateful night – the night he almost died. "Look, I really don't want to fight right now—"

 

"— _Viquita, mija!_ " Imelda interrupted, rushing into the room while the others watched as they stood by the entrance. "Thank goodness you're okay!"

 

" _Abuelita?_ " Victoria was surprised to see her grandmother, who folded her into a tight hug. "You're here, too?"

 

"Of course, we _all_ came looking for you!" the older woman exclaimed, her eyes focusing on her granddaughter's back. Then, her eyes darted towards De la Cruz. "And you,  _you misbegotten hijo de puta!_ " She let go of her granddaughter as she reached down, pulling off her boot. She slapped the man across the face with it, causing him and Victoria to let out a cry of shock. "That's for trying to murder the love of my life!"

 

Ernesto's head spun in place for a moment, before he clutched it, moving back a little as the old woman held her shoe close to his face. "Imelda—"

 

Imelda slapped him across the face with the boot again. "And _that's_ for mistreating my son-in-law and imprisoning my granddaughter!" she shouted angrily, holding her boot up threateningly.

 

"Will you just let me explain?!" Ernesto cried out in exasperation, clutching the sides of his head once more.

 

"What for?" Héctor scoffed. "There's nothing that needs to be said, other than that you're a horrible, filthy—"

 

"Abuelito, Abuelita,  _stop!_ " Victoria cried out as she stepped between her friend and her grandparents.

 

"Vico, what are you doing?" Héctor asked, confused by his granddaughter's actions. "Get away from him! He locked you—"

 

"—I took my father's place on my own choosing," Victoria cut her grandfather off. "And even then, he's right. The past few months I've been here have been nothing but wonderful. He's been such a gentleman." She looked at Ernesto and gave him a smile, which he returned.

 

"You're saying that this man who almost _murdered_ your grandfather has been _kind_ to you?" Imelda asked in disbelief. 

 

"He's changed, Abuelita," Victoria defended her friend, looking back at her grandparents. "What he tried to do was horrible, yes, but it's been years now, and he's learned from his mistakes. He's been so kind to me, he's listened to me and even made me a new pair of huaraches." She lifted the hems of her dress, showing off her new shoes.

 

Héctor and Imelda stared at the shoes, shocked to see that the mariachi had really went out of his way to do something so generous.

 

"I know I've done horrible things in the past," Ernesto started, looking at his former friend and the shoemaker. "Things that I can never take back, but…" His gaze shifted to Victoria. "…I've paid for my actions and thanks to your granddaughter, I've learned from them and changed my ways."

 

Héctor and Imelda remained silent as they looked at the mariachi, before looking at each other.

 

"Even if it's true that he has changed, you can't just stay here forever," Héctor said softly, stepping towards his granddaughter. "We didn't spend _months_ searching for you for nothing."

 

Victoria wrestled with her emotions, trying to choose between her family and Ernesto. On one hand, she'd missed her family a lot and wanted to be with them again – but on the other, she promised Ernesto that she would stay. It would be wrong of her to just leave him, especially when he had little time left. "I'm sorry, Abuelito. Abuelita," she apologized, as she took a step closer to her friend. "But I promised that I'd stay."

 

Ernesto saw that there was still a look of longing in his friend’s eyes, and could sense that she wanted to be with her family. He began to deliberate over whether he should let her go or not. If he did let her go, then the curse would never be lifted and his soul would be sent to the Land of the Forgotten – but if he didn’t let her go, then she would be miserable without her family. Just who was he to deny her of happiness, when she had given him so much?

 

He had torn her away from her family once – what good would it do to continue to keep her from them? He knew how the saying went – that if you love someone, you should set them free. And while he wanted her more than anything else in the world, he knew he couldn’t force her to stay any longer.

 

“You’re free to go if you want,” he told her, ignoring the pain in his heart. It hurt him to do this, but he knew he had no other choice. Besides, how could she ever love the man who tried to kill her grandfather?

 

She turned to him, shocked at what she had just heard. “What?”

 

“Go with them,” he said, forcing a smile.

 

“No, I can’t leave you,” Victoria protested, shaking her head. “Not when you’re—”

 

“—I’ll be fine,” Ernesto interrupted, taking her hands into his. “Now, go be with your family.”

 

“Ernesto…” she trailed off, touched by how he was letting her go, just like that. Still, there was this heavy feeling in her chest as she knew this was his last night. She went over to him and hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder. “Thank you.”

 

“Don’t mention it,” he murmured, squeezing her a bit. “I’m just sorry.”

 

She raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What for?”

 

“If I disappear, you won’t be able to see me on the big screen again,” he answered quietly.

 

Victoria’s eyes widened as she immediately understood what he meant by that. “You mean you’re—”

 

“Victoria, vamonos!” her grandparents shouted, ready to leave the room and join the rest of the family.

 

She pulled away from the hug, looking him in the eye. Her head told her to follow after her family, yet her heart told her to stay.

 

“ _Go,_ ” he urged her.

 

She nodded and whispered, “No matter what, I’ll never forget you.” With that, she followed after her family as they left the room, beginning to leave the mansion.

 

As soon as she was out of sight, Ernesto frowned and approached the marigold vase, looking at the remaining petals. How could he have been so foolish as to get his hopes up? He should’ve known better – he should’ve known that she would never love him and that the curse would never be lifted. Now it was too late, for when morning would come, he’d be fully forgotten.

 

Then, his alebrijes padded into the room, all seeming eager.

 

“I must say, everything is going perfectly!” Coletta chirped.

 

“Once a ladies’ man, always a ladies’ man!” Sixto teased his master.

 

“I let her go,” Ernesto stated, his voice soft yet filled with sorrow. 

 

“You did _WHAT?!_ ” the Chihuahua alebrijes shouted upon hearing those four words.

 

“Why did you do that?” Alípio asked in dismay.

 

“I had to,” Ernesto answered.

 

“Yes, but...  _why?_ ” Urtzi repeated his brother’s question. “What was your reason for doing so?”

 

There was a sad smile on Ernesto’s face. “Because I love her.”

 

Sixto’s ears perked up. “Then the spell should be broken now!”

 

“No, that’s not enough,” Coletta reminded him. “The feeling must be mutual in order for the curse to be lifted.”

 

“Well, she could come back,” Alípio said, trying to remain positive.

 

“No, she’s free now,” Ernesto spoke grimly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t set you free as I did for her…” He turned away, signaling that he wished to be left alone. He listened to the sounds of their tiny feet as they left the room, before there was silence.

 

He looked up at the window, gazing at the night sky. Looking back at the remaining marigold again, he thought of how this was all his fault. If he hadn’t tried to poison Héctor then none of this would be happening, but instead, he acted thoughtlessly, dooming his alebrijes and himself in the process. Feeling a wave of guilt wash over him, he began to sing.

 

> _“I was the one who had it all,_
> 
> _I was the master of my fate._
> 
> _I never needed anybody in my life,_
> 
> _I learned the truth too late.”_

He then looked away from the marigold flower, turning his gaze to the pool. An image of Victoria reflected on the water’s surface as he thought of the woman – how beautiful she was both inside and out with her pleasant voice, her smile, her gorgeous amber eyes and her wonderful personality; just everything about her was perfect. There was nothing about her that he didn’t love.

 

> _“I’ll never shake away the pain,_
> 
> _I close my eyes but she’s still there._
> 
> _I let her steal into my melancholy heart,_
> 
> _It’s more than I can bear.”_

He could still faintly hear the sounds of footsteps running, followed by whispers. So this was it – this was how it would end, with her running away while he was left to waste away until the moment would come where his soul would be transferred to the Land of the Forgotten.

 

> _“Now I know she’ll never leave me,_
> 
> _Even as she runs away._
> 
> _She will still torment me,_
> 
> _Calm me, hurt me,_
> 
> _Move me, come what may._
> 
> _Wasting in my lonely tower,_
> 
> _Waiting by an open door._
> 
> _I’ll fool myself, she’ll walk right in,_
> 
> _And be with me for evermore.”_

Then, he remembered what she had said to him before she left: how she would never forget him. He smiled a little as memories of all the moments they had shared together flashed in his mind. Even if she was gone, the memories of her still remained.

 

> _“I rage against the trials of love,_
> 
> _I curse the fading of the light._
> 
> _Though she’s already flown so far beyond my reach,_
> 
> _She’s never out of sight.”_

Even if the whole world had forgotten him, she would still remember him and that was all that mattered in the end, that she still cared for him even if she did not return his feelings.

 

> _“Now I know she’ll never leave me,_
> 
> _Even as she fades from view._
> 
> _She will still inspire me,_
> 
> _Be a part of everything I do._
> 
> _Wasting in my lonely tower,_
> 
> _Waiting by an open door…”_

Suddenly, Ernesto’s body flickered, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. He put his hands against the ground, pushing himself to his knees. A few tears fell down his cheeks as he imagined Victoria walking in through the doors, back into his life. He began to think of all that could’ve been, had things been different.

 

> _“I’ll fool myself, she’ll walk right in…_
> 
> _And as the long, long nights begin,_
> 
> _I’ll think of all that might have been,_
> 
> _Waiting here for evermore!”_

As the mariachi finished his lament, Victoria and her family had already made their way to the catacombs, where Pepita was peered in through the hole.

 

Unbeknownst to him, she looked back one last time, feeling a pain swell in her heart as though it had been cut in half by a knife.

 

“Goodbye, Ernesto,” she whispered sadly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god damn was that an emotional roller coaster! it only gets worse in the next chapter, with the mob song – speaking of which: i’m kinda puzzled at this part. like, they’re all dead, so the mob can’t really go about it like “kill that beast” since ernesto’s near being forgotten anyway – not to mention, the chihuahua alebrijes are… chihuahuas, so i'm just really puzzled on that mob motivation to storm to the mansion part & the battle part. i know the basics like bruno’s a bitch (trust me i know lmao) and that i'm probably gonna show another small bit with "storytime" (aka the teenagers, mary beth and guicho making small cameos again because stealth crossover), but i need a bit of help on the other stuff. so, any suggestions would be highly appreciated.  
> anyway, to end off this chapter and sum it all up:  
> 


	21. 020. “down with the beast!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy día de los muertos, guys! to celebrate the occasion, i decided to write this chapter up! also, hope you all had a nice halloween too. c:  
> kudos to hexly, arandomreader (especially in regards to the lyrics and bruno's motivations) and k-chips for their suggestions – it was a big help with this one.
> 
> fair warning: it gets worse than the last one in terms of the situation.

“ _WHAT?!_ ” the five teenagers cried out.

 

“Ernesto let Victoria _go?_ ” Avigail asked, a look of dismay on her face.

 

Juan had a look of outrage on his face. “Seriously – when he was _so close_ , too?”

 

“Some love story this is,” Dolores scoffed. “When you think everything’s going to end happily, the worst happens!”

 

“But it can’t just end like that!” Dai exclaimed, throwing his arms up sadly.

 

Kiko looked at her fellow exchange students, before she spoke up, “I don’t see what you’re all getting so upset about.”

 

The others looked at her in confusion, wondering if she was listening to the same story as they were.

 

“He did the right thing,” the young girl continued. “When it comes to love, you have to be willing to make sacrifices for your beloved – you have to be selfless.”

 

Mary Beth and Guicho looked at one another with smiles on their faces.

  
“Smart girl,” the security guard remarked.

 

Mary Beth nodded. “Indeed – what De la Cruz did was very selfless,” the tour guide continued. “But of course, this story doesn’t end at his act of selflessness.”

 

“It doesn’t?” Dai asked, sounding hopeful.

 

The tour guide shook her head. “No, not at all.”

 

* * *

 

As the Riveras rode Pepita back home, they couldn’t help but question Victoria on how she had been during her stay at the mansion – as it boggled their minds on how a man like De la Cruz could change.

 

“Mija, what did you do to make him free you so willingly?” Julio asked his daughter.

 

“I didn’t do anything, Papá,” Victoria answered. “He just let me go on his own.”

 

Julio didn’t seem entirely convinced, as he gave his daughter a skeptical look. “Are we talking about the same man who tried to poison your abuelo here?”

 

“He’s different, Papá,” Victoria insisted. “He’s changed a lot during our time together.”

 

“Are you sure you didn’t do anything?” Óscar questioned her.

 

“After all, something must’ve happened in order for him to change,” Felipe added.

 

“Well,” Victoria started, “I did kind of wound his pride a bit at first, as we didn’t exactly get along in the beginning… but then, when I ran off and was cornered by rogue wolf alebrijes, he stepped in and tried to save me – though, I ended up saving him instead.” The twins laughed, while the others looked surprised upon hearing that De la Cruz had tried to rescue her. “And sure, I was mad at him when I learned that he tried to murder Papá Héctor, but I ended up forgiving him in the end after he proved himself…”

 

“And I guess that dress was a gift from him, along with the shoes?” Rosita asked, smiling as she saw her niece twiddle her thumbs.

 

“Maybe,” the forty-three year-old replied.

 

“Speaking of that dress, you should probably change out of it once we're in the shoe shop,” Imelda said. “It’s Día de Muertos, after all – we’re visiting our living family, not going to a fancy party.”

 

Normally, Victoria would’ve been overjoyed to not be missing out on visiting her family this time of year – but instead, a part of her felt guilty for leaving Ernesto behind. He had done a lot for her, and yet she left him alone on his very last night. What a cruel joke it all was – to die once, only to be forgotten by the world and die again.

 

She tried to push back her bitter feelings, as Pepita landed in front of the shoe shop.

 

“Here it is: home sweet home!” Héctor proclaimed as he got off the jaguar alebrije’s back.

 

“ _Gracias a Dios,_ ” Imelda muttered, following her husband.

 

One by one, the rest of the family got off the jaguar and headed inside, while Victoria stayed behind for a moment.

 

“I’m sorry, Ernesto,” she whispered as she looked up at the night sky. “I’m so sorry…”

 

“Victoria, are you coming?” Julio asked, standing on the porch as he waited for his daughter.

 

“Sí, papá – ya voy.” She nodded, then followed her father into the shoe shop.

 

Once the family was inside the shoe shop, Andrés emerged from his hiding spot. “They’re back,” he whispered, an uncomfortable feeling forming in his nonexistent gut.

 

He ran off to tell his uncle, leaving the Riveras unaware of his former presence as they prepared for the holiday.

 

* * *

 

“Is everyone ready?” Imelda asked, looking at her family as they were all set to head to the Marigold Grand Central Station and cross the bridge. When they all nodded, she said, “Then vamonos!”

 

Just as they were ready to leave together, there was a knock on the door. They all looked at each other, before Victoria stepped up to answer the door. When she opened it, she came face to face with the last person she wanted to see.

 

“What do _you_ want?” Victoria demanded, her brow furrowing.

 

“Oh Victoria, thank _heavens_ you’re back!” Bruno cried out, feigning concern as he barged into the shop, followed by his nephew and a couple of townsfolk. “Where have you been? You were missing for months!”

 

“And the shoe shop was closed for so long,” a man named Gustavo chimed in. He and his fellow townsfolk had followed Señor Acosta and his nephew out of curiosity of where the family had been all this time, as they had been unsure whether to believe him at the gathering or not.

 

“Surely, you must have some type of explanation, yes?” Bruno asked, grinning maliciously as he took a step forward towards Victoria, who backed away in disgust.

 

“That’s none of your concern, Señor Acosta,” Héctor spoke up, stepping in between his granddaughter and Bruno. He tired of the fifty year-old’s attempts at courting his granddaughter, as it was clear that she wanted nothing to do with him.

 

“I believe it _is_ my concern, Señor Rivera,” Bruno shot back. “Your granddaughter is the only woman whose hand I wish to have – she is as much of my concern as she is yours.”

 

“Except she doesn’t want to give you her hand,” Héctor responded, narrowing his eyes at the man.

 

Bruno’s expression darkened for a moment, before he brushed past Héctor over to Victoria. “You still haven’t answered my question yet, Victoria. _Where have you been?_ ”

 

“I can’t say,” she replied quickly, looking down at the ground in order to avoid eye contact.

 

“Señor Acosta, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” Héctor said, attempting to throw the man out peacefully, as he wanted to get things over with quickly so that he and his family could celebrate the holiday.

 

“Not until I have an answer,” Bruno persisted, his eyes still on Victoria. “Tell me: _what happened?_ ”

 

Victoria was getting fed up with the fifty year-old’s demands, to the point where she blurted out, “I’ve been in the Land of the Intermediate, living with Ernesto de la Cruz!” She lifted up the hems of her dress, showing off her new shoes. “And if you don’t believe me, _here’s_ the proof that he exists – these huaraches he made me!”

 

Everyone in the room – minus the Riveras – gasped upon seeing the evidence, which proved that De la Cruz did indeed exist.

 

“Is he really a murderous menace?” Andrés asked, remembering what Héctor had said about the man’s attempt at trying to murder him.

 

“Of course not!” Victoria replied, letting go of her dress. “I know that a lot of men who were forgotten in the past have been horrible, but he’s quite the opposite – he’s really a sweet gentleman…” She smiled fondly as she spoke of the mariachi, “Él es mi amigo más querido.”

 

Bruno was enraged, filled with jealousy at how the woman spoke of the forgotten man. He roughly grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her a bit, asking in a harsh tone, “Don’t tell me you have feelings for this… _this_ _lunatic?_ ”

 

"The only loco person here is  _you,_ " she retorted, glaring at him as she pulled away from his grip.

 

Bruno scowled, insulted that she dared to accuse him of being insane. An idea then came in his head – if he were to get rid of De la Cruz by 'speeding up' the process of his Final Death, then nothing would stand in his way of him getting his little trophy wife. 

 

"It's worse than I thought!" Bruno yelled, taking a step back as he turned to the townsfolk. "It seems that our dear fellow citizen, Victoria, was kidnapped by this Ernesto de la Cruz! He's been keeping her prisoner for so long, that her affections for him are surely that of a Stockholm syndrome-like phase!" 

 

"No, that's not true!" Victoria cried out, trying to dissuade the crowd from believing him. 

 

"I say we make this madman  _pay_ for his misdeeds, before he can cause any more damage!" Bruno shouted, before he held a fist up. " _DOWN WITH THE BEAST!_ "

 

Soon, the townsfolk chanted in agreement, while some had begun to sing.

 

> _“That man should be forgotten.”_
> 
>  
> 
> _“He stalks women in the night.”_
> 
>  
> 
> _“Set to sacrifice our children to his sleazy appetite!”_
> 
>  
> 
> _“Havoc will fall upon our land if we let him out his cage!”_

 

Bruno then joined in, as he and the townsfolk headed outside, with his nephew trailing behind them.

 

> _“So it’s time to take some action, folks! It’s time to go to rage!_
> 
>  
> 
> _Through the streets, through the catacombs, through the darkness and the shadows,_
> 
> _It’s a nightmare, but it’s one exciting ride._
> 
> _And when we pass, what a feeling!_
> 
> _By the entrance of a mansion,_
> 
> _We’ll find something horrible when we enter._
> 
>  
> 
> _It’s a man filled with malice and anger._
> 
> _A criminal – he’s cruel just for pleasure._
> 
> _And although now he is weak,_
> 
> _It’ll be a real treat to make him pay!_
> 
> _Make him pay!_
> 
> _Down with the beast!”_

 

As the crowd was ready to head off, Victoria and the other Riveras ran in front of them.

 

"Those are all lies – he's not like that at all!" Victoria yelled, putting her arms out as an attempt to block their path. "And I will not sit idly by and let you hurt him when this is his last night!" 

 

Bruno grabbed her by the arm and turned to two men. "Fetch a horse wagon!" he commanded. "We can't let her wander around in such a delusional state, or else she'll end up warning the madman!"

 

Julio watched in horror as the men left to go fetch the wagon. To think, he had thought of Ernesto to be a brute, when Bruno was even _worse._ "Let go of her or else, _bastardo!_ " he shouted, turning to the fifty year-old.

 

"Or else what?" Bruno taunted, just as the two men returned with the horse wagon.

 

" _Or else_ you'll be Pepita's new chew toy!" Imelda threatened him. Just a few seconds after her threat, the jaguar alebrije landed behind her, growling as her yellow eyes focused on the fifty year-old.

 

"Oh, I don't think that'll be happening anytime soon." Bruno sneered at the Riveras, before he ordered, "Tie up the gato and lock them up, too – we can't have any of them warning the fiend!"

 

Two more townsfolk pulled out some ropes, throwing them around Pepita and tying her up. The large jaguar alebrije roared, struggling against the ropes' hold on her.

 

"Let us go!" Héctor grunted, as he and his family was grabbed by the two men.

 

Bruno watched as the family was thrown into the wagon, then whispered to Victoria, "Sorry, but it's hero time."

 

Victoria shrieked as she was thrown into the back of the wagon. She quickly scrambled to her feet as she heard the door being slammed shut and locked, moving towards it and pounding on it. " _Let us out!_ "

 

Bruno ignored her, as he left to catch up with the mob, marching through the streets.

 

> _"With torches in hand!"_

Bruno made his way to the front of the crowd, as he was a hunter in life – therefore, tracking down De la Cruz wouldn't be much of a task for him.

 

> _"Bravely, we shall go!"_
> 
> _"We can count on Bruno to win!"_
> 
> _"Call it war, call it threat!_
> 
> _You can bet they all will follow, for in times like this they'll do just as I say!"_

 

Andrés ran up behind his uncle, grabbing the older man by the shoulder and turning him around. "Tío, don't you think you're taking this a little too far?" he asked, attempting to make him see the error of his ways. While his body shook, he tried to keep his tone calm. He couldn't be a coward now, not when everything was in complete chaos, with his uncle as the one behind it all – just because the woman he was obsessed with was in love with another. "Is locking up _an entire family_ and making a forgotten man's last day _a living hell_ all worth it, for a woman who doesn't even like you – a woman who is clearly _repulsed_  by your attempts to court her?"

 

Bruno was seething, his eyes filled with hatred as he glared at his nephew. He grabbed the boy by the shirt, yanking him closer to his face. "You _little shit,_ " he whispered harshly, his voice quiet enough so that no one else heard their little 'conversation.' " _Do you want to be next?_ Because if you ever speak to me like that again, you'll suffer a much worse fate than De la Cruz." He then let the boy go, pushing him to the ground as the mob continued to march.

 

Andrés' arms and legs shook as he pushed himself to his feet, watching as the crowd faded out of view. He was filled with regret for not stepping up sooner.

 

> _"There's a beast running wild, there's no question._
> 
> _But I fear the wrong monster's released…"_

Bruno continued to lead the mob down the streets, as he continued tracking down the catacombs.

 

> _"We must go together to fight off this threat._
> 
> _Together, we'll have victory!"_

"We'll speed up the process of that beast's final death, and rid the world of him once and for all!" Bruno shouted, as the crowd cheered.

 

* * *

 

In the mansion, the Chihuahua alebrijes were lamenting over their situation.

 

"He was _this_ close, and yet he just sent her away!" Urtzi ranted.

 

"At least he's learned how to love," Sixto pointed out. "That's one good thing, right?"

 

"If she returned his feeling, then it would be," Coletta murmured, nuzzling Alípio's sides.

 

The runt heard a distant sound. "Did you hear that?" he asked, then ran over to the window.

 

Sixto ran up next to his brother. "Is it her? Is it Maestro's love?"

 

The four quickly huddled around the window, only to have their hopes crushed as they saw that it was not their master's love, but a mob instead.

 

" _Dios mio,_  it's a _mob!_ " Coletta gasped.

 

"The leader must be a suitor who's coming for the master out of jealousy," Urtzi guessed. "Whatever the case may be, she's definitely not the cause of this."

 

"We have to do something!" Alípio exclaimed. "We can't just let them in – who knows what they'll do to Maestro?"

 

"Right – quickly, we must barricade the doors!" Sixto barked out orders.

 

His siblings nodded, and the Chihuahuas ran as quickly as they could downstairs. Together, they pushed as many pieces of furniture as they could against the door to block out the intruders.

 

> _"Hearts ablaze, banners high!_
> 
> _We run head first into battle, even though the danger's just increased!"_

Outside, the mob arrived at the doors, slamming their bodies against them as they tried to break in.

 

> _"Strengthen the song!_
> 
> _Here we go, we're a dozen strong,_
> 
> _And a dozen townsfolk can't be wrong!_
> 
> _Down with the beast!"_

On the other side, Sixto, Urtzi and Coletta pressed their bodies against the furniture as they tried to prevent the mob from entering.

 

* * *

 

Victoria pushed against the wagon's backdoor alongside her family, but it wouldn't budge.

 

"I have to go back and warn Ernesto!" she cried out as she pushed against the door with all her might.

 

Héctor might have been an old man, but he wasn't naïve – he had taken notice of the way his granddaughter spoke of his almost-murderer, her actions reminding him a lot of how he had acted back when he had fallen in love with Imelda. "Victoria," he began. He had to know for certain. "Are you… in love with Ernesto?"

 

"A-Abuelito!" Victoria sputtered out, her markings glowing brightly at her grandfather's question. "What – what makes you think that?"

 

"The way you talk about him." Her grandfather smiled a little, as he was overcome with nostalgia. "It reminds me so much of how I acted when I was completely head over heels for your abuelita – hell, you're even blushing!"

 

"Don't be ridiculous, Héctor," Imelda huffed. "Why would our _nieta_ fall for the man who tried to _poison_ you?"

 

"And isn't he technically four years older than you?" Rosita asked.

 

"Sí," Héctor answered slowly, " _pero_ Imelda and I were very young when we married and had Coco." He gestured to Julio. "And Julio was sixteen and Coco was fifteen when he began courting her."

 

"Didn't Ernesto die in his forties anyway?" Felipe pointed out.

 

"He didn't sound very old when we were in the mansion," Óscar added.

 

"Wait a minute," Julio cut in. "I think we should let Victoria speak for herself." He turned to his daughter. "Well, mija? Do you love him?"

 

"I…" she trailed off, beginning to think it over. While they'd had their fair share of arguments in the past, they had formed such a close bond to one another after the incident with the wolves. Not only was he handsome, but he was so nice and considerate – he gave her gifts, played music for her and even danced with her. He made her ghostly heart flutter and nearly skip a beat. He made her feel so happy, so alive and warm – so _complete._

In that moment, she realized that her feelings went deeper than just mere friendship – she realized that she _loved_ him.

 

"Victoria, do you?" Julio asked again.

 

"Sí, Papá," she answered, nodding. "I do love him."

 

The others stared at her in complete shock upon hearing her answer, while Héctor smiled a little.

 

"That's all I needed to know," he said softly. Sure, it was a shock to him and he didn't exactly approve of it – but his granddaughter was in _love,_ and love… it was such a funny, ironic thing. He then placed his hand on his granddaughter's shoulder as he told her, "Don't worry – we'll find a way out of here."

 

Suddenly, Andrés peered through the small window in the wagon. "Hola," he greeted them, sounding a little nervous.

 

"Señor Acosta's nephew?" the Riveras said in unison, confused.

 

Andrés flinched at the title. "Yeah, that's me – but I'm not on his side anymore. I'm here to help," he explained, followed by a bark from Dante, who stood by his feet.

 

Then, gears began turning in Julio's head. "Niño, could you head into the house and search for something sharp to pick the lock with?"

 

Victoria caught on quickly. "Like a hairpin!" she piped in.

 

The nineteen year-old looked down at Dante, who yipped and ran into the shoe shop. He looked back at the two and nodded. "We're on it."

 

* * *

 

Alípio entered the pool hall and spotted his master standing near the table with the marigold flower, with only two petals remaining. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Maestro, but—"

 

"—she's never coming back," Ernesto interrupted, his eyes focused on the flower.

 

"No – there's a mob at the doors," Alípio informed him. "We're under attack, Maestro!"

 

"What does it matter?" Ernesto asked, melancholy in his tone. "Just let the world be done with me – let them come."

 

Alípio's ears went down. He left his master alone, heading back downstairs. There, he saw his siblings struggling to hold back the doors, as the furniture trembled from the mob's pounding.

 

"Does anyone else have an idea?" Urtzi asked his siblings. "Because this clearly isn't working!"

 

An idea popped into Coletta's head. "I think I got one!" She looked at her brothers. "You know how Maestro has a lot of things which he obtained back when he was alive?" 

 

"Yes, but what has that got to do anything?" Sixto questioned her.

 

"Surely he must have some old film props lying around," Coletta continued. "If we used those props and the screen projector, then we could be able to scare those ruffians away!" 

 

"That's a brilliant idea!" Urtzi and Sixto exclaimed in unison.

 

* * *

 

In the Land of the Forgotten, Xibalba sat on his throne, holding his snake staff – its eyes rolled up, as he watched over Ernesto.

 

A long time ago, he had thought of the mariachi to be an example of how there was little good left in humanity – and yet, De la Cruz had recently surprised him: he fell in love with the granddaughter of the man he almost poisoned.

 

At first, Xibalba had laughed at the forty-six year-old's predicament and how it was so ironic – but when he saw the relationship between the two blossom, he was actually rather pleased. For once, the mariachi was cleaning up his act _and_ he was earning the affections of the youngest Rivera woman.

 

So when Ernesto had let Victoria go, Xibalba was very disappointed. Usually, he didn't like being proven wrong – but in this case, he had been waiting for the moment when the two would passionately embrace each other, thus lifting the curse. Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened.

 

“Looks like I have yet another soul to drag here,” the ruler of the Land of the Forgotten sighed as he stood up, still holding the staff. “I suppose their romance was just never meant to be, and that Ernesto de la Cruz was just meant to be cursed – forgotten by the world, and doomed to spend an eternity in this realm.”

 

“ _What?_ ” a voice hissed.

 

Xibalba's eyes widened as he recognized the voice, turning to face a skeleton woman around his height. Her body was made of white sugar candy, with black licorice hair and glowing, multi-colored eyes in shades of gold and red. She wore a red dress and sombrero, bedecked with lit candles and marigolds.

 

“La Muerte, my dear!” he chuckled nervously, waving his hand a bit while he hid the staff behind his back. “How are you, on this lovely evening?”

 

“Did I just hear something about Ernesto de la Cruz being cursed to be forgotten?” La Muerte demanded, folding her arms as her eyes narrowed at her husband.

 

He gulped. While his wife was calm and collected most of the time, she could be terrifying when she was angry. “Perhaps?” he replied, his voice quivering a little.

 

“ _XIBALBA!_ ” La Muerte screamed loudly, her voice echoing throughout the realm.

 

Xibalba's wings folded as he backed up slowly, clutching onto the snake staff as though it were a lifeline. Not only was he screwed, but he was certain that he wouldn't be hearing the end of this for a _long_ time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter can be summed up in one reaction image:  
> 
> 
> the bit with xibalba and la muerte wasn't originally intended for this chapter, but i figured that they'd have to barge in sooner or later. besides, do y'all really think xibalba would be the type to randomly fuck off without appearing again like the enchantress from the 1991 film? hell no.  
> he got a lot of explaining to do tho, rip. 
> 
> anyways, shit's going down and we're getting closer and closer to the ending by each and every chapter – it's nervousciting!


	22. 021. when all hell breaks loose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this chapter seems a little quick, it's just that i kinda didn't plan it out much, so i just wrote along whatever came into my mind.  
> at the very least, we're getting closer to the end and this is the last we’ll be seeing of bruno, who finally gets his comeuppance.

"Wow – things went to hell pretty quickly," Avigail remarked. 

 

"You're telling me," Guicho grumbled.

 

Mary Beth shot a glare at the security guard, then looked at the girl. "Indeed, they did – and it only got more chaotic from then on out…"

 

* * *

 

The townsfolk finally managed to break down the mansion’s doors. Inside the entrance hall, it was completely dark as all the lights were shut off. The mob carefully entered the lobby, huddling close as they tried looking around. No one noticed eight pairs of beady eyes, watching as they entered.

 

Once it was clear that everyone had entered the mansion, there was a sound of a switch turning on. A light turned on, flashing at the walls, revealing the shadowy figures of two wolves.

 

The sounds of growling echoed throughout the mansion, causing the townsfolk to tremble as the shadows loomed larger. Then there was a howl, which was enough to make most of the villagers let out screams of terror as they fled the mansion.

 

“YES!” the Chihuahua alebrijes cheered as they watched the villagers leave the mansion. Alípio and Sixto moved away from a microphone and speakers, while Urtzi grunted as he pushed away two wolf props.

 

Coletta pressed her nose against the switch, turning off the projector. “See? I told you it’d work!” she said, walking up to her brothers.

 

“As if I ever had any doubt,” Urtzi retorted, a playful tone in his voice.

 

“Being a showman’s alebrije sure does come in handy,” Sixto remarked.

 

“Maestro is saved!” Alípio exclaimed joyfully.

 

But little did they know that the one who led the mob had broken off from the rest of the crowd, heading up the stairs to where their master resided…

 

* * *

 

Andrés searched upstairs in the house for a hairpin – particularly, in Héctor and Imelda’s bedroom. He searched through the drawers near their bed, stumbling across a shriveled up photo in the top drawer.

 

Out of curiosity, he unfolded it, only to reveal a picture of two young men smiling at one another – the first man whom he recognized as Héctor, while the other had a much bigger physique. _Must be De la Cruz_ , he guessed, mostly from memory of how Señor Rivera spoke of the man.

 

The nineteen year-old continued searching through the drawers, until he found a spare hairpin. He held the pin in one hand, while he held onto the picture in his other hand, his eyes still focused on it. If this De la Cruz guy wasn’t as bad as his uncle made him out to be, then it didn’t seem entirely fair for the man’s photo to remain off an ofrenda.

 

“Oye, Dante!” Andrés called out. The xolo came bounding up the stairs, into the bedroom. The boy knelt down, holding the photo out to the dog. “Can you cross over to the other side, and take this photo to the living Rivera family? It’s very important.”

 

Dante sniffed the photo, before he grabbed it with his teeth, carefully moving his tongue back while trying not to tear it up. Then, he bounded back down the stairs. Once he was out the front door, he took off into the sky, flapping his wings as fast as he could.

 

“Good dog,” Andrés whispered, before he descended down the stairs as well. 

 

He headed out the front door, towards the wagon. He inserted the hairpin into the lock, twisting it around a bit before it came loose.

 

"There – it's open now," he said as he pulled the door open.

 

"Muchas gracias," Victoria thanked him as she got out of the wagon.

 

"You're hardly your uncle's nephew at all," Julio remarked as he walked towards the boy. "You've got a heart made of gold."

 

Andrés smiled at the comment, feeling proud of himself for once in his life. "Thank you, Señor," he whispered.

 

"Come on!" Victoria called out to her family, while she untied the ropes from around Pepita. "There's not much time left!"

 

The others quickly followed behind her, while Héctor stayed behind for a bit. He placed his hand on Andrés' shoulder and said, "We owe you a lot, niño."

 

"Never mind that," Andrés replied, putting his hands up and shaking them. "I don't want any award, really. I just did it because no one deserves to have their life ruined by a man like my uncle."

 

Héctor nodded, before joining the rest of his family.

 

* * *

 

Bruno stepped quietly into the pool hall, and saw Ernesto hunched over the table with the marigold flower, with only one petal remaining. The fifty year-old smirked, knowing that pounding the forgotten man into dust would be just _too easy._

Ernesto sensed that there was someone else in the room, and turned to see the fifty year-old. "Quién eres tú?" he asked quietly, his voice filled with misery.

 

"Hola, _bestia_ ," Bruno greeted him. " _Soy_   _Bruno._ "

 

The mariachi's eyes widened at the name, recognizing the man as the arrogant chauvinist who acted horrid towards Victoria. "You – you're that man who acted obsessive around Victoria back in the village!"

 

The fifty year-old was confused by the mariachi's words. "How do you know about that?"

 

"She told me about you," Ernesto said, stepping away from the marigold, his eyebrows furrowed at the other man. "How you only liked her for her beauty, and of the ridiculous standards you held for her."

 

"Is that so?" Bruno seethed, clenching his fists tightly. "Well, did she also mention that I was once a mighty hunter?"

 

Ernesto saw how the man clenched his fists, realizing what his intent was – he was there to break his bones, to speed up the process of his Final Death. Ignoring the tired feeling in his body, he ran out of the pool hall as fast as he could.

 

Bruno growled and ran after him, through one of the many halls. He cackled as he saw Ernesto's body shimmer, falling to the ground. "Did you love her?" he taunted, taking a few steps forward. "Did you honestly think she'd want a pathetic mongrel such as _you?_ "

 

He raised his foot above the man's rib cage, ready to start grinding his body into dust, when an all-too familiar voice shouted: " _STOP_ _!_ "

 

Both men turned their heads, and saw Victoria at the far end of the hallway. " _Victoria?_ "

 

Ernesto felt his chest swell with joy. There she was, the love of his life – she had come back to him, she _cared_ for him…

 

She ran over to them, standing between the man she loved and the unwanted suitor. "If you so much as even  _touch him,_ I will make sure you'll wish  _you_ were the one being forgotten instead!" 

 

Bruno had a look of rage on his face, as though he was about to snap at any moment. "When we return to the Land of the Remembered, you will marry me!" he declared as he roughly grabbed her arm, causing Ernesto's teeth to clench in anger. "And that man's soul shall rot in the Land of the Forgotten for the rest of his miserable afterlife!"

 

"I'd rather contract lung cancer all over again than marry the likes of  _you!_ " Victoria shouted in revulsion, yanking her arm out of his grasp. She reached down and pulled off one of her shoes, then smacked him across the face with it. " _That's_ for trying to dust my friend!"

 

Bruno clutched the area where she struck him in pain. "You insolent, insubordinate,  _rotten whore!_ " he hissed, raising his other hand to strike her.

 

But before he could do so, Ernesto scrambled to his feet and bounded at the man, knocking them both far back. 

 

"Ernesto!" Victoria yelled, worried for her friend. She ran after the men, but they soon faded from view as they began to scuffle, stumbling back into the pool hall. 

 

* * *

 

Xibalba and La Muerte made their way through the catacombs, disguised as an ordinary pair of skeletons.

 

“I can’t believe you cursed a man to suffer for _seventy-five_ _years,_ ” La Muerte whispered, shaking her head in a disappointed manner. “I thought that you were at your worst all those times you cheated, but this – _this_ is a new kind of low!”

 

“Hey, _at the very least_ I gave him another chance to redeem himself!” Xibalba defended himself. “I could’ve easily dragged him to the realm, kicking and screaming – but I decided to be nice that night.”

 

“You better hope I remain nice once this mess is over _or else_ ,” his wife threatened him, causing his pride to deflate a little.

 

“Yes, dear,” he squeaked, silently praying that things weren’t in complete chaos at the mansion, or else he was toast.

 

* * *

 

"It's funny, really," Ernesto said as he held the other man's wrists, preventing him from striking him. "You think you're the _perfect man_ for her and yet, you raised your hand to strike her!"

 

"Do you think _you_ would make a better husband for her?" Bruno challenged him, trying to wriggle his wrists out of the mariachi's hold.

 

"I actually _care_ about her and _love_ her!" Ernesto shot back, twisting the other man's arms. "All you've ever done was _lust_ after her, courting her even though she wanted nothing to do with you!"

 

"Is it so wrong of me to try to claim what is rightfully min—"

 

Before the fifty year-old could finish his sentence, Ernesto wrapped his hand around the his neck, gripping it tightly. "Victoria belongs to _no man,_ " the mariachi hissed, his grip getting tighter. There was an intense hatred in his eyes as he looked at the man – no, the _monster_ – who thought that he could _own_ her as though she were a pet, or an item. "She doesn't belong to me, and _certainly_ not you."

 

"Pl-please," the other man pleaded, trying to pry the mariachi's hands off his neck, but the musician's grip only got tighter. The tighter the grip on his neck got, the more close his neck bone was to cracking. "Let me go! Please, don't hurt me – I'll do anything! _Anything!_ "

 

Ernesto's expression nearly darkened, but then he saw something out of the corner of his eye – Victoria standing near the entrance of the hall, watching the scene unfolding. He knew that she cared not for the fifty year-old, but he could _swear_ that he saw a look of fear on her beautiful face.

 

He tossed Bruno across the room. Maybe, in the past, he would've stooped that low – but now? Now, he was a changed man – he was _nowhere_ near the same level as that monster. "Get out," he spat in disgust, as the other man's body hit the wall. "And don't you _ever_ come near her again."

 

“Ernesto!” Victoria rushed over to him, taking one of his hands into hers. “Lo siento mucho, I tried to stop them but––”

 

“Shhh,” he shushed her, putting a finger to her lip. He squeezed her hand tightly, then caressed her cheek with his other hand. “You came back…”

 

“Of course I did,” she whispered, leaning into his touch. “I couldn’t just leave you behind, not on your last night.”

 

The two of them smiled at one another, not noticing Bruno getting up from the ground. He quietly moved towards the table and grabbed the vase, before moving towards the two, behind Ernesto. He carefully raised the vase above the mariachi’s head, then brought it down, smashing it against the other man’s skull.

 

Ernesto let out a cry of agony as he fell to the ground, just as the final petal did. Once again, his body shimmered like before.

 

“ _NO!_ ” Victoria screamed in horror. She rushed over to her friend’s side, kneeling beside him.

 

Upon hearing the woman’s scream, the rest of the Riveras rushed in along with the Chihuahuas, their eyes all widening in horror at the sight.

 

“ _Dios mío_ ,” Imelda gasped, covering her mouth in shock as she saw her granddaughter on her knees, hunched over Ernesto’s body. Near the mariachi’s body were the remaining shards of a broken vase, and a marigold petal.

 

“Maestro…” Alípio whimpered, while his siblings huddled near him.

 

If Héctor had any blood, it would’ve been boiling. He turned to Bruno, filled with rage. “What did you do to him?” he asked, his voice coming out as a harsh whisper.

 

“Simple,” the fifty year-old answered, his voice calm as he smirked. “I got rid of the obstacle.”

 

Héctor gritted his teeth. He was about to shout at the man, before he heard a shaky “get up, please.” He looked back at his granddaughter, who was helping Ernesto stand back up on his feet. The mariachi’s arm was slung over her shoulder, his legs trembling as there was a weak look on his face.

 

“No one,” Héctor began, turning back to Señor Acosta, “and I mean _no one_ , hurts mi nieta – or her beloved – and gets away with it.”

 

Bruno backed away as he saw the rage in the old man’s eyes. “Now, now, Señor Rivera – let’s not act irrationally.”

 

“ _Irrationally?_ ” Imelda stepped next to her husband, shooting a glare at Señor Acosta. “Oh, you mean like _this?_ ” she asked, feigning a cheerful tone of voice. She put her fingers to her lips, blowing the loudest whistle she ever could.

 

Within a second, the large jaguar alebrije came crashing down through the roof, landing only meters away from her mistress’ family.

 

“N-nice pussycat,” Bruno stammered, putting a hand up as he backed away slowly. He looked over to Victoria. “Victoria, please – tell your _psychotic bitch_ of a grandmother that I didn’t mean any harm!”

 

She looked at him, her eyes filled with abhorrence. “ _Vete pal carajo,_ ” she spat coldly.

 

Once that was said, Pepita immediately snatched Bruno up with her hind legs, before she flew out of the mansion. She lifted him into the sky, flinging him around in the air for a while – like a kitten playing with a ball of yarn.

 

“Put me down, you stupid gato!” Bruno screeched as he was swung around.

 

Pepita seized him with her talons once more, then threw him far away, sending him flying over to a giant bell in the distance.

 

Back in the mansion, they could all hear him screeching before the loud ringing of a bell could be heard, signifying that he had been crushed.

 

“Is he gone?” Ernesto asked quietly. Victoria nodded, and he felt a wave of relief wash over him. “Gracias a—”

 

Suddenly, the mariachi stumbled with a flicker.

 

“ _Ernesto!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoutout to anon-a-miss and hexly for suggesting bruno getting a bell to the head – it was such an amusing idea, i just couldn’t help myself. that, and he deserves it for all that he's done.
> 
> originally, i would’ve given ernesto a broken bone – but the whole vase shattering and the final petal being loosened from its hold seemed more dramatic, since y'know, it speeds up the whole process of _you know what_ … :’) 
> 
> with all that aside though, i’m unsure if i should be proud of this chapter or not. either way, at least the next one’s gonna be much better – i can definitely assure ya that.


	23. 022. to love, and to be loved (that's everything)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally, we get to the moment we've truly been waiting for – the "transformation" scene. of course, though, we need to get all the angst aside before we get to the good bits. i also inserted a song from the musical in, just because. 
> 
> hope you enjoy this! i know i sure did.

Héctor held Imelda close to him, as did Óscar with Rosita. Julio and Felipe stood close, with the Chihuahuas standing close by their legs, whimpering and whining as their bodies shimmered. They all watched as Victoria knelt beside Ernesto, her arms trembling as she placed a hand on Ernesto’s shoulder.

 

“Victoria—” Ernesto raised a hand to the woman’s shoulder, only to suffer his most violent flickering yet. He collapsed again, barely able to move his limbs.

 

“Ernesto!” Victoria moved towards him, pulling him closer to her. She draped his body across her lap, cradling his head.

 

The mariachi opened his eyes slightly, enough to see his dear friend’s face. He could see the sadness and fear in her bright, beautiful amber eyes, which glowed despite the dimness of the room. “You’re here,” he breathed. “You’re actually _here._ ”

 

“Yes, I’m here,” she whispered, caressing his face. She was overwhelmed with guilt. If she hadn’t left him in his moment of weakness, then none of this would be happening. Or at the very least, if she had returned sooner, then he would’ve at least been in a much better state than this. “I’m _so sorry_ , Ernesto. This is all my fault. I should’ve just stayed here instead of leaving you like that—”

 

“—you wanted to see your family again,” he interrupted her, his voice shaky as his breathing got more ragged within every second. “And – it was inevitable that my time would run out, anyway.”

 

Victoria looked to the windows – to the horizon, where the first rays of sunlight were peeking over. Her eyes widened, tears threatening to spill over as she saw that she had been too late. “No, don’t say that,” she said softly as she looked back at him. She protectively bowed over his body, forming a cocoon of sorts as she continued fondling his face. “You’re – you’re going to be okay. Everything will be fine, now that we’re together. You’ll see.”

 

The shimmering of Ernesto’s bones advanced. “Victoria,” he choked out, mustering his strength to lift his hand up to her cheek. “Could you… sing for me, por favor?”

 

“Of course,” she answered, nodding at his request. She breathed in, fighting back her tears as she began to sing quietly.

 

 

> _“We are home, we are where we shall be forever._
> 
> _Trust in me, for you know I won’t run away._
> 
> _From today, this is all that I need,_
> 
> _And all that I need to say is…”_

 

Victoria smiled a little as she sung, while Ernesto stroked her cheek softly.

 

 

> _“Don’t you know how you’ve changed me?_
> 
> _Strange, how I finally see._
> 
> _I found home,_
> 
> _You’re my home._
> 
> _Stay with me…”_

“Gracias,” Ernesto thanked her, smiling. “Even if my time here is up, I at least got to see you…” He winced as his body flickered violently once more. “One last time…” The hand that had been stroking her cheek fell from her face, as his eyes shut tightly.

 

Victoria's ghostly heart broke as she felt his body go limp. She glanced over at the horizon, noticing that the sun was rising. “No…” She shook his body slightly, hoping he would stir awake, but he didn’t. He remained limp. “No, _please!_ ” she sobbed, holding him closer to her. “Please, don’t leave me! You can’t leave…” She could no longer fight back the tears which now flowed freely down her cheeks, for the love of her life was gone now, and soon he would fade away. She would never see him, or hold him in her arms again. “ _I love you,_ ” she whispered, feeling hopeless as she knew that he would never hear her.

 

The Chihuahuas’ ears went down as they saw the last marigold petal shrivel up, knowing that it was too late – that soon, they would fade away along with their master.

 

Imelda buried her head into Héctor’s chest, unable to watch the sad scene any further. He took his hat off in respect, along with Julio, Óscar and Felipe. Rosita sniffled as she held onto Óscar. Their ghostly hearts sank as they saw the youngest member of the family in such pain over the loss of her beloved.

 

Victoria continued to let out harsh, hollow sobs as she held onto the mariachi, whose body kept shimmering. _Please, don’t let him be forgotten_ , she silently begged.

 

Unbeknownst to them all, there were two other figures in the room, watching from afar within the shadows – Xibalba and La Muerte, who had changed back to their normal forms.

 

“Did you hear that?” La Muerte asked her husband, having heard the woman’s tearful confession.

 

Xibalba nodded slowly. “So I was wrong,” he murmured. “The love isn’t coming from just one side – it’s from _both._ ”

 

“It isn’t fair to tear another pair of lovers apart,” La Muerte spoke in a hushed tone of voice.

 

A benevolent smile made its way across Xibalba’s face. “Of course not! Why, I intend to give this story a happy ending.” He held his hand up, snapping his fingers.

 

All of the wilted petals began to glow, regaining their healthy and luscious color as they floated towards Ernesto’s body, glowing brightly.

 

Victoria rose to her feet, backing away as she watched in awe along with the others as the glowing petals continued to surround her friend. The glow got brighter with each second, as the petals swirled around him. Then, as the sun had finally risen high into the sky with its light shining through the windows, there was a flash of light, causing everyone to shield their eyes.

 

Once the glow faded, Victoria was about to come over, but stopped as she saw him begin to rise to his feet.

 

Ernesto got back up, looking at his hands. He was shocked to see that he was still there in his mansion instead of the Land of the Forgotten. Then, he remembered what Victoria had said to him while his eyes were shut – how she had said _I love you._

 

Everyone stared at him in awe, but the mariachi only had eyes for his beloved, whom he walked over to. “Victoria…”

 

Victoria reached her hand out, touching his cheek in order to see if it was really him and not just some illusion. Her ghostly heart soared as she felt him, realizing that it was him. He was actually there, standing in front of her. “It’s you – it’s really _you!_ ” She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “I was so worried! I thought you were going to fade away!”

 

Ernesto returned the hug, squeezing her tightly. “I’m sorry for worrying you,” he apologized.

 

“Don’t be,” she said, smiling as she pulled away from the hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

 

“Sí,” he said, smiling a bit. Then, he thought about her words, wondering if what she’d said had been true. Yes, he was there, but still, he had to know for sure. “Victoria,” he began, “while I was lying there, I thought I heard you say something… is it true that you love me?”

 

Her markings glowed upon hearing that he _had_ heard her. “As we bonded and got to know each other, I started getting strange feelings,” she admitted, glancing away for a moment. “I didn’t know what they were, and why I only felt like that around you, but now… now I know.” She looked into his eyes, her smile growing wider. “I love you.”

 

The mariachi’s eyes widened in shock. All this time, he had thought that she would never return his feelings – yet now, he had been proven wrong. She _did_ love him. He grinned widely, taking her hands into his. “And I love you, more than anything else in the world. You are my universe, my _everything._ ”

 

The two locked gazes, becoming lost within each other as though they were the only ones in the room. Ernesto slowly wrapped his arms around Victoria’s waist, while she wrapped hers around his neck. Their faces inched closer and closer, as their eyes closed. Their lips finally connected, and they shared their first kiss – one of burning passion.

 

Ernesto pulled Victoria closer to him, as she ran her fingers through his hair. Her lips tasted like cherries and pomegranates, making him deepen the kiss while she moved her hands to his face, stroking his cheeks.

 

The other Riveras’ jaws nearly dropped at the sight, while the Chihuahuas all did somersaults as they chanted joyfully, “At last, the spell is broken!”

 

“Ah, young love,” La Muerte sighed happily, looking over to her husband.

 

“Indeed.” Xibalba nodded, taking her hand into his. “Let’s give them some privacy now, shall we?”

 

The two gods soon disappeared from the room, while the two lovers continued to kiss.

 

“ _Ahem_ ,” Julio cleared his throat, trying to put an end to the awkward atmosphere.

 

Ernesto and Victoria pulled away from the kiss, turning back to the rest of the Riveras. They both laughed awkwardly, still holding onto one another.

 

“Señor,” the mariachi started nervously as he looked at Julio, “I know I wasn’t the kindest soul to you when we first met, but I promise you that I’ve changed my ways.”

 

Julio raised an eyebrow, then said, “You’re pardoned.” He then raised his finger. “Just keep her happy, okay?”

 

Ernesto nodded. “Of course. I’d hate to see her upset.”

 

Héctor and Imelda stepped up to the couple, both having a solemn look on their faces. They turned to their granddaughter.

 

"Victoria, does he make you happy?" Héctor asked her.

 

"He does, abuelito," Victoria answered, nodding at him. She looked to Ernesto and smiled. "He makes me feel like I'm alive again."

 

Héctor and Imelda looked at each other for a moment, then turned to Ernesto.

 

"I don't know if I can forgive you just yet," Héctor started, uncertainty evident in his tone. "I don't even know if I fully approve of this, but…" He glanced at Victoria, smiling a little. "I understand how it feels to be in love, and to see _mi nieta_ find happiness – it warms my heart, really." He looked back at Ernesto. "I only want the best for her – and if that means allowing you to court her, then who am I to oppose that?"

 

Ernesto looked at him in surprise, while Victoria smiled at her grandfather's words, thankful that he was just as understanding as her father was.

 

"Frankly, I can't forgive you for what you nearly did," Imelda said, taking another step towards Ernesto. "And I'm not particularly fond of the idea of mi nieta being courted by a man who is technically _two generations_ older than her." She breathed in, then continued, " _But_ if she is happy with you, then I will support this relationship, even if I don't entirely approve of it."

 

Héctor placed his hand on his wife's shoulder. "You have our blessing to court each other," he told the two.

 

"Gracias," Ernesto thanked them, bowing his head.

 

" _Muchas gracias_ , Abuelito. Abuelita," Victoria thanked her grandparents, grinning widely.

 

"Hey!" Óscar cried out, causing everyone to turn to him. He and Felipe were pointing at the windows. Outside, the surroundings had changed as they were no longer in the Land of the Intermediate.

 

"We're in the Land of the Remembered again!" Felipe exclaimed.

 

"But how?" Rosita asked, confused.

 

"That doesn't matter now," Julio said dismissively. "Let's all just go home now. Last night was a long one, and we all need a good rest."

 

The Riveras all nodded and began to follow him out the pool hall, one by one – except for Victoria, who stayed behind with Ernesto and the Chihuahua alebrijes.

 

"Aren't you coming?" she asked him.

 

"I – you want me to go with you, to your home?" he stammered.

 

"Of course, silly." She took one of his hands into hers, giving him a loving smile. " _Eres el amor de mi vida._ My home is your home now."

 

His spirits soared as he heard those words. "Mi querida," he purred as he cupped her face with one hand, bringing it closer to his.

 

"Querido…" she whispered back, leaning closer as the two kissed once more.

 

"I knew she'd be the one to break the spell," Coletta said smugly to her brothers.

 

"Of course, of course," Urtzi said, playfully rolling his beady eyes at his sister.

 

"Does this mean she's our mistress now, since they're together?" Alípio asked Sixto.

 

"Sí," Sixto chuckled at his brother's question. "It does."

 

* * *

 

Back in the Land of the Living, in a young boy's bedroom, there was an ofrenda with pictures of deceased relatives. Near the center of the ofrenda was a photo, which looked as though it had been recently added – a photo of two friends smiling at one another.

 

A grey xolo sat near the ofrenda, sticking his tongue out as he wagged his tail happily.

 

Miguel patted the dog's head. "Even if they couldn't come this year, at least their love will live on in our memories," he remarked, looking at the ofrenda. He then looked down at his dog. "Right, Dante?"

 

Dante barked in response, jumping up a bit to lick his owner's cheek.

 

"Good boy," the boy laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOO! now this, by far, was the most fun chapter to write! at long last, this long slow burn has finally paid off! yeah, it got a little bit… suggestive with the whole makeout thing – but believe me, it could’ve gotten a _lot_ more raunchy, so *shrugs*
> 
> anyways, the next chapter is going to be the epilogue aka the finale! however, i’m a little conflicted as i’ve got several ideas on how it might pan out – the only consistent thing about them being that the group of teenage tourists appear briefly, as does the newly deceased coco and it’s set on the next día de muertos. the song’s reprisal might be added, idk.  
>  **idea #1:** ernesto and vico get hitched, and then they cross the bridge with the family  
>  **idea #2:** they’re already established to have been hitched, and they still cross the bridge  
>  **idea #3:** a proposal, is all i’ll say for this third option. ;) 
> 
> i’ve been conflicted about this since chapter 18, so suggestions would be highly appreciated!
> 
> p.s.: i’m still figuring out which AU to write out next, because i have so many lol. right now these are my current ideas: a princess and the frog AU (thanks to k-chips), something post-canon related (still have no clue what the plot is), a canon AU where vico sang “la llorona” instead (ernesto is obviously smitten), corpse groom AU (with a few crossovers with tbol & el tigre because reasons c; ), aladdin or cinderella AU (basically post-canon/mid redemption arc with some elements from these films? more OCs of mine are involved ofc), a rio AU (except it's set in modern day mexico & imector is a side ship), _OR_ a modern AU/actor AU (a multi-chapter fic or a bunch of one-shots; maybe both). it’s a lot of ideas i know, but this crack ship fuels me, man. i love it too much, probably much more than i should. XD


	24. 023. “our love for each other will live on forever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i haven't been updating much, it's just that i kinda got a little stuck during the writing process of this chapter's draft – but now i've finally finished it!  
> so, here’s the finale! it’s been a nice ride while it lasted (a month and some weeks), but eventually all good stories must come to an end. luckily, i’ll be making a lot more content for this ship soon (including a few post-canon ones, along with so many AUs y'all don't even know) – so stay tuned for that!  
> i’d sincerely like to thank hexly, arandomreader, k-chips and anon-a-miss for all of their nice comments, feedback and contributions – it means a lot, guys. and a HUGE shoutout to metalshootingstar for inspiring this fic with their redemption one, “shoes are for second chances” – go check their work out! it’s amazing.  
> anyway, enjoy this little conclusion! and let's just pretend the living riveras can see their dead relatives – which has been my headcanon since day one but w/e – so that the last few parts of the ending can work, okay? okay. :D

“Awww!” the children chorused, touched by the story.

 

“I knew they’d get together, I just _knew_ it!” Kiko cheered, holding a fist up triumphantly.

 

“How romantic,” Dolores sighed happily. “A beauty falling in love with a beast.”

 

“Even if the beauty took forever,” Juan added in a low whisper.

 

“That was a great story, Ms. Mary,” Dai said with a smile on his face.

 

“Yeah, it was amazing!” Avigail added.

 

“Thank you, children,” Mary Beth chuckled. “I’m glad you liked it.”

 

Guicho checked his watch. “Oh, I think the bus will be here any minute now.”

 

“Oh!” Mary Beth gestured for the teenagers to follow her. “Come along, children. It’s time to go.”

 

The group of teenagers followed the security guard and tour guide out the front door of the museum, just as a bus stopped by. The teenagers all laughed as they ran towards the bus, boarding the vehicle.

 

Once they got into their seats, they stuck their hands out of the windows as they waved goodbye to the tour guide and security guard.

 

“Adios, Mary! Guicho!” Kiko called out.

 

The two smiled at her for a brief moment, then changed into their real forms.

 

“Adios, Kiko!” La Muerte and Xibalba called out, waving at the young girl.

 

Avigail, Dai, Dolores and Juan all gaped as they saw the two’s true forms.

 

“La Muerte and Xibalba…?” Kiko gasped, shocked by the revelation.

 

Xibalba simply grinned, while La Muerte laughed as they both continued to wave.

 

Kiko smiled as she exclaimed, “It’s real... the story is _real!_ ”

 

“Dios mío, it all really _did_ happen!” Dolores cried out, overwhelmed by joy.

 

The teenagers all let out their own gritos as the bus drove away.

 

“I must say, mi amor,” Xibalba said, turning to his wife, “this Day of the Dead has got to be the most fun of them all, by far.”

 

La Muerte turned to her husband, nodding. “Yes, _especially_ since a certain shoemaking family has just gained a new member…”

 

* * *

 

Ernesto waited in the departures line, dressed in his white mariachi suit. His Chihuahua alebrijes were by his feet, wagging their tails in excitement. The mariachi, on the other hand, was nervous as this was the first Día de Muertos he’d spend remembered.

 

“Next!” the departures agent called out.

 

He stepped up to the monitor, chuckling nervously as it scanned him. To his relief, he heard a “ding!”

 

“Enjoy your visit, Señor,” the departures agent told him.

 

His chest swelled as he exited from the Marigold Grand Central Station. Outside the station, he saw Victoria waiting on the cobblestones for him.

 

“Took you long enough,” she said teasingly.

 

"I apologize, querida," Ernesto said with a smile, then pecked her lips. "I just got a little nervous about the scanner back there." He held his arm out for her to take. "Shall we, my lady?" 

 

She smiled, linking her arm with his. "We shall." 

 

Together, they stepped forward onto the marigold bridge, while the Chihuahua alebrijes ran after them.

 

The petals glowed beneath Ernesto’s feet with each step he took, making his nonexistent heart swell with joy. It felt like a miracle, to finally be able to cross the bridge to the other side.

 

There, near the end of the bridge, was the rest of the family including Coco, who had died earlier that year.

 

(He could still remember how he had been so hesitant to meet her again after an entire century of not seeing her, that Victoria practically had to drag him to the Department of Family Reunions as she insisted that her mother deserved to see him again after so long.

 

And so, after Coco had hugged and embraced all of her family members, she slowly approached him and asked where he had been all those years.

 

He told her everything from his poison attempt to getting cursed, to when he met her daughter, finally ending with how he’d slowly earned her daughter’s forgiveness, and how they fell in love.

 

It was a lot for the old woman to take in, of course, but much to his surprise, she accepted their relationship, saying: “As long as mi hija is happy, I’m happy.”

 

Needless to say, it was a wonderful yet still slightly awkward reunion.)

 

“ _Finally,_ there you two are!” Héctor exclaimed as the couple joined hands with the rest of the family. “I was wondering if we would ever get to cross the bridge.”

 

“You’re such a _rey del drama,_ you know that?” Ernesto asked, rolling his eyes at his old friend’s comment while Victoria giggled.

 

“As if you’re any better,” Héctor retorted, then smiled as he looked at the rest of his family. “Now, let’s go.”

 

Together, they all crossed the marigold bridge over to the other side, following the trail of golden petals to the Rivera courtyard.

 

* * *

 

In the Land of the Living, the Rivera compound was lively, as every single member of the living family was gathered. Lights were hung up along with papel picado, while the table was set with tamales and other goods. Most of the family gathered in the courtyard as they wanted to catch up with their ancestors, since they couldn’t do so the previous year.

 

Yet in the ofrenda room, there were four members who hadn’t joined the others yet: Miguel and his little sister, Socorro, along with Ernesto and Héctor.

 

Miguel held his baby sister in his arms as he pointed out all of the family members, “And that man is your Papá Julio… and there’s Tía Rosita, Tía Victoria, Tío Óscar y Tío Felipe... and you already know about Mamá Imelda, Papá Héctor and Mamá Coco…” Then, he looked over at the photo of Ernesto and Héctor. “Oh!” The thirteen year-old pointed at the photo. “See that man next to Papá Héctor? Well, from what I’ve heard about him from Mamá Coco, he was a very close friend of the family, your honorary Tío Ernesto!” As Socorro cooed and held her hands out, the boy continued, “It’s very important that you know this, since these aren’t just old pictures – they’re our family, and they’re counting on us to keep their memory alive.”

 

Ernesto felt a bit of pride swell within him as he heard the words “Tío Ernesto.” It felt so good, to know that he was considered a part of the family now and that they would remember him just as they did with the others, keeping his memory alive.

 

“Miguel!” a man’s voice called out.

 

The boy recognized the voice and shouted back, “Coming, Papá!” He looked to his baby sister and whispered, “We better get going, or else Papá will start worrying if you’re out of Mamá’s arms for another second.”

 

Once the boy left, Ernesto took a step towards the ofrenda. Even if he was glad to see that he was part of the family, he still felt a little nervous as he looked at the old photo of him and Héctor, remembering the good times and the bad. “Do you remember the day we took this picture?” he asked his old friend, while still looking at the photo.

 

Héctor took a step next to his old friend, looking at the photo. “Ah, yes, good times,” he answered, nodding as he recalled the moments leading up to the photo. A cheeky grin formed on his face as he remembered the performance that occurred before it. “Too bad your guitar was out of tune the whole performance, and the crowd only stayed because of my singing.”

 

Ernesto turned to the other man, his pride a bit wounded by his comment on his guitar-playing skills. “ _Excuse you_ , but it was _MY_ playing that saved that show, not your squeaking,” he shot back.

 

“ _Squeaking?_ ” Héctor repeated, raising an eyebrow while he smirked. “I’m hurt, Ernesto! I truly am!”

 

“Alright, you two,” the two heard a familiar voice chuckle. They both turned to see Coco standing at the doorway. “That’s enough banter for tonight. It’s Día de Muertos! Tonight is all about family and spending time with them!”

 

“Aye,” Héctor said as he smiled at his daughter, “you’re right, mija.” He bumped Ernesto’s shoulder. “Sorry, ‘Nesto, but I got mi familia to get to.” He walked over to his daughter and placed a kiss on her forehead, whispering an “I love you” to her before he left the room to join his wife along with the rest of his family.

 

Ernesto looked at Coco for a moment, as he thought of something. He and Victoria had been together for quite some time and their love had only grown with each passing day, so a part of him wondered, maybe now was the time that he seal their relationship permanently. However, he would obviously need her mother’s blessing.

 

“Coco,” he started, “may I ask you a question?”

 

She nodded. “Of course. What is it?”

 

“I was wondering, could I have your blessing to…” he trailed off for a moment, struggling to get the words out. “…to have your daughter’s hand in marriage?”

 

Coco was surprised at the question. She thought about it for a few minutes. She hadn’t heard from Ernesto ever since her father had returned home from the tour, only to find out earlier that very year that the reason behind that was because her ‘honorary uncle’ tried to _poison_ her father, yet at the same time, she could tell that the man really did love her daughter and that her daughter loved him just as much. She only wanted to see her daughter happy… so, she came to a decision. “You have my blessing.”

 

“Oh gracias, Coco,” Ernesto sighed in relief. “ _Muchas gracias._ ”

 

“There’s no need to thank me,” Coco said as she put a hand up, a small smile on her face. “Just make sure she’s happy, alright?” Once he nodded, she then left the ofrenda room.

 

The mariachi soon left the room as well, making his way towards his beloved.

 

“There you are,” Victoria said as the mariachi walked towards her. She then noticed the nervous look on his face. “Hay algo mal?”

 

“Victoria,” Ernesto started, taking the woman’s hands into his. The rest of the family turned their gaze over to the two, all - except for Coco, who was just smiling - letting out gasps as the mariachi got down on one knee. “I love you. I’ve loved you ever since the incident with the wolves a year ago… and I was just wondering: _serías mi esposa?_ ”

 

“I… I…” A smile formed on Victoria’s face as she quickly nodded. “Sí! _Y_ _es,_ I’ll marry you!”

 

Ernesto beamed, and the two embraced in a tight hug before sharing a kiss, while the rest of the family cheered.

 

When the two pulled away from their kiss, Julio and Coco approached them.

 

“Welcome to the family,” Julio told Ernesto.

 

Ernesto bowed his head in respect. “Thank you, señor.”

 

Coco and Victoria hugged as the older woman whispered to her daughter, “I’m so happy for you, mija.”

 

“Thank you, Mamá.”

 

“Oye, this calls for a _fiesta!_ ” Héctor yelled in joy. He turned to Miguel. “Miguelito, break out the song! Let’s celebrate!”

 

The thirteen year-old nodded, hoisting his guitar up as he began to sing a song.

 

 

> _“Say that I’m crazy or call me a fool, but last night it seemed that I dreamed about you._
> 
> _When I opened my mouth, what came out was a song, and you knew every word and we all sang along!_
> 
> _To a melody played on the strings of our souls, and a rhythm that rattled us down to the bone._ _Our love for each other will live on forever, in every beat of my proud corazón._
> 
> _Our love for each other will live on forever, in every beat of my proud corazón!”_

Everyone began to move and clap along to the song while the boy’s cousins, Rosa and Abel, joined in with their own instruments. Miguel stepped onto a spare table as he continued to play his guitar, just as Dante and Pepita showed up to join in the festivities. Héctor and Imelda stood arm in arm as they watched their great-great grandson play, both filled with pride.

 

Ernesto and Victoria danced along to the music, just as how they’d danced on the previous Día de Muertos. Both were filled with utter bliss as they knew they had finally found the one: the love of their lives.

 

> _“Ay mi familia, oiga mi gente! Canten a coro, let it be known!_
> 
> _Our love for each other will live on forever in every beat of my proud corazón!”_

 

Ernesto and Victoria stopped dancing as they joined in with the rest of the family, who was gathering around the spare table.

 

As Miguel sang, the whole family – both living and dead – was now gathered around the spare table, clapping and singing along as they enjoyed the music.

 

 

> _“Ay mi familia, oiga mi gente! Canten a coro, let it be known!_
> 
> _Our love for each other will live on forever in every beat of my proud corazón!”_

 

As the boy finished the song, his father and uncle hoisted him up onto their shoulders while everyone applauded and cheered.

 

Victoria leaned against Ernesto and whispered, “Te amo.”

 

“Y te amo, siempre y para siempre,” the mariachi whispered back, wrapping an arm around her.

 

And they both knew that even if their hearts were no longer beating, that their love was eternal. It didn’t matter that it had sprouted from the most unusual circumstances, for they had each other and that was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> el fin!
> 
> seriously though, thank you guys SO MUCH for being there for me throughout this whole fic. it’s been a great time, and i hope you’ll stick around for some more vicesto. in the meantime, i hope this was a fun reading experience for you all! 
> 
> thanks for reading! <3


End file.
